Mother Terra
by Cody the Impaler
Summary: Some unexpected visitors arrive at the Black Mage Village. Their origion is from Terra. And their goal is to finish what Garland started. Sequel to A Time of Peace. A Time of War.
1. A Visit from Mikoto

_One day in the year of the fox,  
came a time remembered well.  
When a strong young man of the rising sun,  
heard the tolling of the great black bell.  
One day in the year of the fox,  
when the bell began to ring, meant the time had come,  
for the one young man to go to the temple of the king.  
There in the middle of circle he stands searching, seeking.  
With just one touch of his trembling hand,  
the answer will be found.  
Daylight waits, while the old man sings, 'Heaven, help me.'  
And then like a rush of a thousand wings,  
it shines upon the one.  
And the day had just begun_—

"The Temple of the King"—Rainbow

**Mother Terra**

**Chapter I**

Nearly two years had passed since the re-conquest of Alexandria, and life in the kingdom was quiet. But that is exactly how Zidane liked it.

Late at night, after Prince Hunter had been put to bed, Zidane would tell Garnet, "We've been through too much over the last four years. First, we had Kuja to deal with, and then we had Haldan. We don't need any more serious problems to deal with."

"The same would be true for Hunter," added Garnet. "I hope he doesn't have to go through the drama we've had in our lives."

"If he does, I'll make sure he's ready for it."

* * *

The following afternoon was a typical day for Garnet. She received information from her ministers and representatives of Parliament. And while this was important for a queen, she really wanted to be with Zidane and Hunter. Garnet and Zidane did their best to manage their royal duties and spend time with their son. 

"Your Majesty," a pregnant Beatrix began, as she entered the royal conference room with a salute.

"Yes, Beatrix?"

"Mikoto's here. She'd like to see you. Or well, to be more exact, she'd like to see Zidane."

"Zidane? What for?"

"She said this is a personal matter that is to be discussed with Zidane."

Garnet nodded. "Send her in."

Beatrix returned the nod, and escorted Mikoto into the chamber. Once she completed her task, she saluted her queen again and left the room.

"Mikoto!" she exclaimed, while she embraced her sister-in-law. "It's good to see you again. How are you?"

Mikoto smiled, and returned the hug without any hesitation. In the four years that she had lived on Gaia, she had learned what its people call 'emotion.' "I'm doing well, Dagger, considering."

"Considering? Considering what?"

"I really need to talk to Zidane about that. Is he here?"

"Well, yes, he's here. He's busy playing with Hunter. But can I ask you a question?"

"What's that?"

"What's so important that you need to see Zidane?"

"It's a personal matter."

"Can you tell me about it?"

Mikoto shook her head. "Forgive me, Dagger, but I'd prefer to speak to Zidane about this—even though I'm sure you'll be hearing about it from him anyway."

"Then what's the harm in me hearing it with him?"

Mikoto sighed. "Please don't argue with me on this, Dagger. Please?"

Garnet bit her tongue. "_This is ridiculous! If she says I'm going to hear about this anyway then why doesn't she just tell me!"_

But she nodded. "Very well, I'll take you to him."

* * *

In the royal chamber, Zidane reclined on the floor and bench-pressed his son. The toddler laughed, and tried to place his hands on his father's face. 

From the entrance, Garnet giggled.

And Garnet's giggle made Zidane stop. He picked himself up from the floor and held Hunter, while the two-year-old pulled on Zidane's hair.

"Mommy!" the toddler called.

"Hey, Dagger," Zidane replied, while he pulled his hair free.

Garnet smiled. "Zidane, someone's here to see you."

"Oh? Who's that?"

Mikoto entered. "Hello, Zidane."

"Mikoto! Hunter, you remember your aunt, Mikoto, right?"

Hunter did not answer. Instead, he stared at Mikoto with his brown eyes—trying to figure out who she is to him.

Mikoto giggled, and stepped closer to Zidane and Hunter. "I don't think he remembers me."

Mikoto tickled her nephew's belly, and the toddler squealed. "I don't even remember when I last saw him. How old is he now?"

"He just turned two."

Garnet took Hunter from his father. "Zidane, Mikoto came here, because she has something personal to discuss with you. So I'm going to take Hunter for a walk around the Castle."

Zidane nodded. "Okay, Dagger, I'll see you later then."

* * *

After Garnet left, Zidane reclined in a chair that faced opposite to Mikoto. "So, what's going on, Mikoto? How's everyone in the Black Mage Village?" 

"They're fine."

"And Vivi?"

"He's fine as well, but I'm not here to talk about the Black Mage Village, Zidane."

"That's right. You said you had something personal you wanted to discuss with me. So, what is it?"

"We had some visitors recently."

"Visitors?"

"In the Black Mage Village…they were visitors from Terra."

Zidane gasped. "What!"

Mikoto smiled. "That's exactly how I felt when I first met them."

Zidane leaned forward. "What are they?"

"Genomes."

"Genomes?"

"Yes."

"But where did they come from?"

"Terra, I just said…"

"I know what you said, but I also know that Kuja destroyed Terra; and that we rescued all the genomes."

"Not according to what they told me."

Zidane leaned further. "Oh? And what did they tell you?"

"That not all of Terra was destroyed."

"That's impossible!"

"Not really…not when you think about it."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, none of us saw Kuja destroy Terra, did we?"

"What're you talking about! We were on the ship…"

"And leaving Terra to enter Gaia."

Zidane said nothing.

"The fact is, Zidane, is that not all of Terra may've been destroyed."

Zidane sighed. "Okay, I admit that's possible. But how did they get here? And where're they now?"

"They got here the same way Kuja did—through breaks in the fabric between both planets. As for where they are now, they're in the Black Mage Village."

"How many're there?"

"I haven't counted them, but I'd say at least thirty…That's not all, you know?"

"What else?"

"They have souls."

Zidane nearly fell out of his chair. "What!"

Mikoto nodded. "Yes."

"…So Garland must've given them souls too?"

"That's correct."

"…So why're they here?"

"They came to see you."

"Me? For what?"

"They want you to help them restore Terra."

"Forget it! My home's Gaia, not Terra…And I hope that the other genomes feel the same way."

Again Mikoto nodded. "We do—or at least I think most of us do, but I think it'd be easier if you told that to Nuri."

"Nuri? Who's Nuri?"

"He's their spokesman."

"You mean their leader?"

"He told me that they don't have a leader. That they're all equal."

"If he's speaking for them I'm going to call him their leader."

"Fine, call him whatever you wish."

Zidane smiled. "Thank you. One more question for you, Mikoto?"

"What's that?"

"What makes them think they can restore Terra? There's no Lifa Tree anymore."

"I'm not exactly sure of it myself, but it has to do with something along the lines of even though the Tree's no longer there the flow of souls can still take place."

Zidane shook his head. "That doesn't make much sense to me…But I guess I'll be finding more about that tomorrow."

"So you're going to confront them!"

Zidane nodded. "Yeah…Why don't you stay here tonight? And tomorrow we'll both go to the Black Mage Village."


	2. A Visit to the Black Mage Village

_We sailed across the air before we learned to fly.  
We thought that it could never end.  
We'd glide above the ground before we learned to run. Run!  
Now it seems our world has come undone.  
Oh, they say that it's over.  
And it just had to be.  
Oh, they that it's over.  
We're lost children of the sea_—

"Children of the Sea"—Black Sabbath

**Mother Terra**

**Chapter II**

When Garnet returned from her stroll with Hunter, Zidane was waiting for them.

"Did you finish whatever you had to discuss with Mikoto?"

"Yeah, and I need to talk to you about that."

"Oh?" Garnet began, while she placed Hunter in his nursery. "What do you need to tell me?"

Zidane motioned her into the master bedroom. "Tomorrow I'm going with Mikoto to the Black Mage Village."

"What for?"

"She had some interesting visitors."

"Visitors?"

"From Terra."

"What!"

Zidane smiled. "That's exactly how I reacted."

Garnet paced. "It's not possible!"

Zidane smirked. "I said the same thing, but it may actually be true."

"…Explain?"

"Well, none of us actually saw Terra destroyed. We boarded the Invincible and left the scene before the destruction happened…Basically, according to these genomes, Kuja didn't destroy all of Terra."

"What genomes're these?"

"The ones that came from Terra."

"I always thought all of them were from Bran Bal."

"So did I, but I guess you learn something new everyday."

"I wonder why Mikoto didn't want to say this in front of me? Even though she told me that I'd hear about it from you eventually."

"I don't know. I guess that's just how she is."

"What else did she tell you?"

"That all these genomes have souls."

"So in some ways they're like you, Kuja, and Mikoto?"

"In some ways, yes."

"What're they here for; or maybe the better question is, how did they get here?"

"Mikoto told me it was through the fabric that connects the two planets together—that's how they got here. As for why they're here, Mikoto told me that they want to complete what Garland started."

"What!"

"Yeah, I felt the same way, and they want me to help them on top of it."

"They'll never get it!"

Zidane nodded. "Damn straight they'll never get it! That's what they're going to find out tomorrow."

* * *

During their trip to the Black Mage Village, Zidane and Mikoto stayed inside a cabin. The air was cool, and snow loomed on the horizon.

"Did it ever snow on Terra?"

"No, Terra was a unique place. Everything was different there compared to Gaia. There was always light on Terra—never darkness. Water never flowed—it always stayed still…That's why when we first came to Gaia it was a culture shock."

"I wonder if it's changed since Kuja nearly destroyed it?"

"Maybe we should go and see?"

"Go if you wish, but Gaia's my home."

Mikoto paused before she finally nodded. "Yes, it's my home now too."

* * *

When Zidane and Mikoto entered the village, they were greeted by its residents. The most prominent for Zidane was Vivi.

"Hey, Vivi!"

"Zidane, you came!" Vivi—now a teenager—fiddled with his hands. "Somehow I knew that you would."

Zidane laughed. "What's this, Vivi? Are you expressing doubts?"

"No! No! It's just…well…I didn't know if you would with Dagger, and the baby, and all that."

Zidane chuckled, and wrapped an arm around the black mage's shoulders. "In a situation like this, you should've known that I'd be here." And then Zidane turned serious. "Have any of them bothered you?"

"No, they've been really friendly. I talked with their spokesman, Nuri."

"About what?"

"He asked me about our battle with Kuja, and he asked me about you."

"About me?" Zidane replied, while his voice rose a little.

"Y-yeah."

"What did he want to know about me?"

"About what you're doing now."

"And what did you tell him?"

"That you married Dagger, and you have a son named, Hunter."

Zidane lowered his head. "_Part of me wishes that Vivi wouldn't have said anything. But, it's not his fault."_

"Did I say something wrong, Zidane?"

Zidane smiled. "Oh, no, Vivi—you didn't do anything wrong."

Vivi was relieved. "Thank you."

"Where's this Nuri…? I'd like to see him."

"I can take you to him."

Again Zidane smiled. "Thanks, Vivi."

* * *

Vivi directed Zidane to an area of the village that was near the forest. A dozen genomes—men and women—leaned against the trees, but one with blonde hair, green eyes, and a little shorter than Zidane, sat on a bench. Beside him sat a black mage.

When the genome noticed Zidane, he rose from his bench. "Ah, the Angel of Death!"

Zidane squinted his eyes. "My name's Zidane."

"Yes, but Garland also called you the Angel of Death."

"Garland's also dead!"

The genome grinned.

"What's with that stupid grin?"

"Sorry, I'm being rude…"

"_Damn straight you are!"_

"I just think it's ironic to meet you."

Zidane relaxed. "Well, there's nothing special about me. I'm a person just like you."

"Garland had big plans for you."

"Well, I had other plans."

The genome smiled.

"I take it you're the leader, Nuri?"

"I am, Nuri, but I'm not the leader. We have no leader. We're all one! I'm simply the spokesman, because I'm the best communicator."

"Well, I consider those who speak for a group to be their leader."

Nuri smiled. "Very well then, I can be considered 'the leader' if that makes you happy."

Zidane returned the smile. "Thank you. Now, I understand that you're from Terra. Is this true?"

Nuri nodded. "It is."

"So Kuja didn't destroy all of Terra?"

Nuri shook his head. "No, not quite…Kuja was powerful, yes, but he couldn't destroy all of Terra."

"So what's left then?"

"A small island—the rest of Terra's covered by water."

"So the planet's dead?"

"For the most part, yes."

"And you want to restore a dead planet?"

Again Nuri nodded. "Yes."

"Why?"

"It's the master's will."

"The master's will? You mean Garland, don't you?"

For the third time, Nuri nodded. "Yes."

"But Garland's dead; why don't you just let his plan die with him?"

"How can you say that! How can you deny the land of your birth!"

"Because my home isn't Terra. My home isn't Bran Bal. My home's Gaia, Lindblum, and Alexandria."

"So then, you deny the land of your birth!"

Zidane turned to his side, and then turned back to Nuri with his hands in the air. "Yes, fine! I deny the land of my birth!"

"How could you!"

"It's simple. I have a wife, a son, my Tantalus brothers, and all my friends on Gaia."

"Hmph!" responded Nuri, while he pointed to the village. "Look there."

Zidane turned. He noticed the genomes that were from Bran Bal. "What about them?"

"Look at them. They're soulless. Unlike you, me, Mikoto, your infant son, and the rest of us," he added, while pointing to his crew, "they're without a soul. Is that right?"

"I don't know. Maybe you should've bitched to your dead master about it."

"Our dead master intended to give them a soul…But you put a stop to that…! You and Kuja that is."

"Again, I'm from Gaia, not Terra. Like I said earlier, I've denied the land of my birth."

Nuri nodded, turned to his side, and began to pace. "So you've said…But…don't you believe that those people deserve a soul?"

Zidane pondered the question. "What difference does a soul really make?"

"Simple, it makes you feel more alive."

"They seem alive to me. When I was recovering in this village over three years ago, I saw the happiness in their eyes. They learned what we on Gaia call 'love.'"

Nuri laughed. "Love? What a stupid word!"

"That's because you have no idea what love is!" Zidane sighed. "Look…here's what I think you guys should do. You should settle here in Gaia, find a good job, marry, and have kids. I know that some of the genomes from Bran Bal're doing it, and you can too."

Nuri smirked. "Here's a better idea, how about we restore Terra?"

Zidane scoffed. "Fine, do whatever you want! But I won't help you."

Nuri glared. "You may regret those words!"

And Zidane returned the glare. "Are you threatening me?"

"Take that however you want!"

Zidane stepped forward, and cocked his fists.

"Stop!" Nuri gestured. "I've no desire to fight you. Our conversation has ended."

Zidane did not stop glaring. "Damn straight it has!" And he turned to walk away.

But while he did so, he sensed a ball of heat. Although he did not see it, it felt like a black mage's fireball.

Zidane turned. A tree was on fire, and the black mage who sat beside Nuri was desperately trying to put it out.

Nuri's hand emitted a red glow that smelled like sulfur. And he watched as the black mage attempted to put out the fire. "I'm sorry about that. It won't happen again."

"_Holy shit!"_ Zidane said, as he returned to the village square to find Mikoto and Vivi.

* * *

"What! He threw a fire ball just like a black mage!" shouted Vivi, while he, Zidane, and Mikoto shared a drink in the Ornitier home.

Zidane nodded. "I didn't actually see it, but I did see a red glow in his hand; and I smelled sulfur."

Mikoto sipped her wine. "It looks like Garland gave these genomes the power to use fire."

"Or the power to use magic period," replied Zidane. "And that worries me."

"Why?"

"Well, not me personally—I'm worried about you two."

"Us?" responded Vivi. "Why?"

"Obviously these genomes know the history between you and me. And while I could tell that they wouldn't harm anyone in this village—plus they're too many black mages that could over take them—I'm worried that they'd hurt you in a sneak attack."

"What makes you think that?" asked Mikoto.

"As a way to get even with me…I pissed them off today."

"I can take care of myself, Zidane," said Vivi. "Just like you taught me."

Zidane smiled. "I know you can, Vivi, but you're going to be seriously outnumbered…Plus you have a family."

"Me and Mikoto can get the villagers to help us."

Zidane nodded. "True…but I don't think you should do that."

"Then what do you suggest?" asked Mikoto.

"That you come to the Castle with me. All of you'll be safer there."


	3. The Black Wind Howls

_The Black Wind Howls_—

"Magus"-(Chrono Trigger)

**Mother Terra**

**Chapter III**

That evening, Zidane stared at the fireplace in the royal chamber. But out of the corner of his eye, he watched Garnet carrying Hunter over to a window, so he could watch the snow's descent.

But once Garnet moved away, he returned to stare at the fire—and the royal portrait of himself and Garnet, which was one of the few times Zidane had ever worn the robes of nobility.

"Zidane?" began Garnet.

Garnet's voice almost made Zidane jump out of his skin. "Oh, hey, Dagger!"

"Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah…You just startled me that's all."

Garnet shook her head. "I don't think so. I think there's something more to it."

"Wh-what? What do you mean?"

"You broke tradition tonight."

"Tradition?"

Garnet nodded. "Yes, you're always with me when I put the baby to bed."

"Oh," Zidane began, while scratching his head; "I guess my mind must've been somewhere else."

Again, Garnet nodded. "And that's why I'm worried. Something's on your mind. What is it?"

"Oh…it's nothing."

"Is it about what happened today?"

Zidane conceded with a smile. "It's hard for me to hide anything from you, isn't it?"

Garnet returned the smile. "Much like it's hard for me to hide anything from you."

Zidane kept his smile and nodded. But then he became serious. "Well, yes…it is about what happened today."

"Is it something that you didn't tell me?"

"No, I told you everything that happened."

"Then what's the problem?"

"…I'm worried."

"About what?"

"About what happened today."

"But you didn't seem worried earlier when you came home."

"Yeah, I know."

"Then why're you worried now?"

"…Well…I'm not worried about myself…I'm just worried about those around me."

"Why? Why're you worried about us?"

"I pissed off those guys today…And I saw that one genome use magic. I know that he did that to give me a warning."

"A warning for what?"

"…I'm not sure."

"Zidane," began Garnet, while she took his hands into hers and kissed them; "you're too paranoid."

Zidane was stunned. "Paranoid?"

"Yes! We have the best security in the world. Nothing's going to happen to me, Hunter, Mikoto, Vivi, and all those we care for."

"…Dagger?"

"Yes?"

"Does Regent Cid have the best security in the world?"

"Huh?"

"It's a simple question. Does he have the best security in the world?"

"Well, I guess I was being a little too explicit when I said that we have the best security in the world. We have one of the best, but so does Uncle Cid, and…"

"And four years ago Lindblum was taken by an army of black mages."

"That's not going to happen!"

"But it can."

"Damn it, Zidane! Listen to me!"

Zidane gasped. It was not often for Garnet to be so forceful with him.

"Nothing's going to happen! You said that you saw their leader use magic—or at least you thought that you did—but did you see any of the others use magic? No, you didn't! And even if all of them could use magic and wanted to harm us here, do you really think they could defeat our armies and our technology? Now, you referred to the incident in Lindblum four years ago that both of us tragically watched, but I also remember the use of eidolons along with the army and technology. They don't have that, and you know that none of the black mages'll help them."

Zidane said nothing.

"Worrying doesn't do any good. Before I met you I used to worry all the time, and you helped me not to worry. So what I'm asking you to do, Zidane, is to follow your own advice and not worry."

Zidane turned from Garnet. Then he sighed, nodded, and faced her again. "You're right, Dagger." And he smiled. "Whenever I need a good kick in the ass I can always count on my wife."

Garnet returned the smile, but soon their attention was diverted.

From the nursery, Hunter gave his parents a sharp cry.

Garnet giggled. "I think we woke the baby up."

Zidane kept his smile. "I think we did too, but this time I'll go with you to put him back to sleep."

* * *

With snow over his boots—and melting on his hair and coat—Nuri smoked a cigar under the moon. He stood near the area where he and Zidane had their confrontation hours earlier.

"Ah, there you are, Nuri," a genome said, who charged towards him.

Nuri turned. "Ah, Goldwin." Nuri took another puff. "Good evening, as the Gaians say."

"How can you be out here? The black mages tell me that this is snow, and it comes when the temperature gets cold. I prefer the house that we're staying in with the fire."

Nuri nodded, and took another puff. "Once the restoration's complete, we'll be getting used to weather like this."

Goldwin paid no attention to Nuri's words. Instead, he looked at the cigar. "What is that you keep putting in your mouth?"

Nuri continued to smoke. "This is called a cigar. The black mages introduced me to them. It took me a while to get used to them though. I used to cough every time I took a puff, but then I got used to them. They're quite good actually; would you like to try one?"

"Oh…no thanks."

Again Nuri nodded and inhaled the tobacco. "I understand."

Goldwin returned the nod. "This is a nice place, isn't it?"

For the third time, Nuri nodded. "Yes, the people're very friendly. Someday we'll have to return their hospitality."

And again, Goldwin returned the nod. But then he began to pace. "Do you think we'll be able to accomplish our goal?"

"You mean the restoration of Terra?"

Goldwin nodded.

"Oh, of course!"

"But…we don't have Zidane to help us. I thought you said earlier that we needed his help?"

Nuri continued to smoke the cigar. "We do."

"But he clearly stated that he wouldn't help us."

Nuri took one final puff, before he put his cigar out and placed it in a trash can. "I know what he said. He just hasn't been convinced properly."

"Convinced properly?"

"Oh, yes! He just needs the right motivation."

"What do you mean?"

"You heard him today, didn't you?"

Goldwin nodded. "Yes, I heard him."

"And from what you heard what would you say he holds most dear in the world?"

Goldwin placed his chin between his thumb and first finger. "I'd say his friends and family."

Nuri clapped his hands and smiled. "Exactly! Now since it'd be impossible for us to convince all his friends, we're going to convince his wife and son to convince him to help us."

"Huh?"

"We're going to kidnap them, and take them to Terra."

"Wait! Isn't kidnapping wrong…and stupid at the same time?"

"Our goal's to restore Terra. We must do so at all costs! It'd be wrong if we were to torture the queen and the prince, but that'll not happen. As far as if this is stupid, I'm not leading anyone into battle; we're all equals. But if you have a better idea, I'd love to hear it."

"…I don't really have one. But if we're going to do this, how're we going to succeed?"

"Our first goal is to get some boats and sail to Alexandria, and that shouldn't be too much of a problem. Once we arrive, we'll have easy access to the Castle. We'll say that we're friends of Zidane from the Black Mage Village. They wouldn't know the difference."

Goldwin nodded. "That seems easy enough, but there're a couple of questions that need to be answered. First, how're we going to get in there if Zidane's around? Second, the Queen of Alexandria knows how to summon eidolons. And third, even if we can get to the queen and the prince, how're we going to get them out of the Castle?"

"…Sorry, I don't have all the answers…not yet, anyway. But in the case of Zidane the answer's obvious. We'd have to do this when he's away."

Again Goldwin nodded. "That makes sense, but wouldn't word reach Zidane if we were staying in Alexandria? He seems very personable. He doesn't seem like a person who's locked up inside the Castle."

"…You're right, once word reaches the Castle of genomes in the city, Zidane'll be interested to see us…But the good news is that Zidane couldn't have recognized all of us today. So what I'm going to do, is ask a pair of the genomes who weren't in the front of the group to go to Alexandria. Through radio contact, I'll be able to stay in touch with them and learn all the latest."

"Then how'll the rest of us be able to arrive?"

"We won't."

"Huh?"

"This'll be a one or two man job. And these one or two men'll kidnap the queen and prince, and bring them back here."

"And how're we going to get them out of the Castle?"

"…Like I said before, I don't have all the answers. Give me some time to come up with an answer to that question, alright?"

Goldwin nodded.

"Now, as for the queen's use of eidolons, we have a collar that stops a summoner from calling them…"

"But how're we going to put that collar on her? Are we simply going to ask her, 'We need you to put this collar on, Your Majesty?'"

Nuri smirked. "We'll use the prince as bait. We'll tell the queen that if she doesn't put that collar on, something'll happen to her cute little son."

"Wait! I thought you said earlier…"

"I know what I said, and we're not going to hurt the prince. We just have to scare the queen into believing that we are."

"And if that doesn't work?"

"…Then we hit the queen over the head, and put the collar on her."

Goldwin was stunned. "But that'd be hurting her, right?"

Nuri smiled and nodded. "Yes, it would be…But you have to be a little liberal sometimes."

Goldwin was again stunned, although this time it was by Nuri's smile.

"Naturally you and everybody else don't have to follow my plan, like I said earlier. But if you don't like what I've proposed, then I need an alternative plan."

"…I really don't know one. But even your plan has its faults. You still don't know how to get the queen and prince out of the Castle unnoticed."

"And I told you, give me time on that. There was something that I saw in this village that might answer that question, but I need to look more into it."

"What is it?"

"Let's talk about it later. It's cold outside; and I'd like to site by a fire, smoke a cigar, have a drink, and eat some supper."


	4. The Plot Thickens

_I sense the darkness clearer.  
I feel a presence here.  
A change in the weather,  
I feel some evil here_—

"Harvest Moon"—Blue Oyster Cult

**Mother Terra**

**Chapter IV**

Morning in the Black Mage Village was cold and gray. The snow had stopped, but the weather foretold that it would come again. Nevertheless, the youth of the village enjoyed the snow.

And Nuri smiled at the mage and genome youth, with Goldwin at his side.

"Nuri?"

"Yes?"

"What's this thing you were telling me about last night?"

"What thing's that?"

"The thing that'll allow us to escape from Alexandria Castle with the queen and the prince."

"Oh, that! Follow me to the synthesis shop."

* * *

A tiny bell pealed when Nuri opened the door to the synthesis shop.

The owner turned. "Hello…Nuri, is it?" he asked, while he stoked the fire.

Nuri nodded. "It is."

"And who's this with you?"

"This is my friend, Goldwin."

"Pleasure to meet you, sir," the owner said, while he and Goldwin shook hands. And returning to both men he added, "So, what can I do for you?"

"Well, sir," replied Nuri, "I would actually like to speak with your apprentice."

"Oh, what for?"

"Well, it's about that new gem he's been working on."

"New gem…? Oh, you mean the Warp Stone! Don't you?"

"Sure do!"

"Sharif!" called the owner.

"Yes, sir?" a voice said from the next room.

"There're some gentlemen who'd like to see you."

From the next room emerged a black mage that was a few years younger than Vivi. "Oh, Master Nuri!"

Nuri chuckled. "You don't have to be so formal. Please relax, just Nuri'll do."

Sharif nodded. "Okay, Nuri."

"Now, I've called you for a reason."

"Yes?"

"I'm interested in the Warp Stone that you've been working on."

"Oh, yes!"

"Excuse me," interjected Goldwin, "but what exactly's this Warp Stone?"

"Oh, it's something that I synchronized recently. Actually, they should probably be called 'Warp Stones,' because they come in pairs. Anyway, through the use of the Warp Stone a person is able to transport themselves and those they touch to where the other stone is located."

Goldwin was stunned. "And these actually work?"

"Of course they do! Me and Master 24 tested them ourselves!"

Master 24 nodded. "They do indeed work, Master Goldwin. Unfortunately, they have one weakness."

"And what's that?" asked Nuri.

"They can only be used once."

Sharif nodded. "True, which is why I designed a safety button, so that someone wouldn't accidentally push the button and trigger the magic before they wanted to."

"Let me ask you, Sharif," continued Nuri, "does it matter how far away you are?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, let's say that one of the stones was here, while the other was in…oh, I don't know, Lindblum. Would that matter?"

"…I don't know. I've never tested the stones from that distance, but I have tested them a good distance away from the village."

"How far?"

"Conde Petie."

"…That's a pretty good distance."

"Yes, it is."

"Well, let me ask you something more important. How much do you charge for those stones?"

"Well, they're quite expensive, Nuri."

"How expensive're we talking?"

"…Five thousand gil."

"Five thousand gil!"

"Y-yes."

"Dear god, that's expensive!"

"You have to understand, Nuri," interjected Master 24, "this is very new technology, and it's much less than any of the swords and armor we design."

Nuri turned and stared at the ceiling. Then he sighed and turned back. "Very well, I'll take a pair."

* * *

Outside the shop, Nuri smiled and prepared to light a cigar. "Looks like I answered your question about how we're going to get the queen and prince out of the Castle."

"You did, but I realized something new."

"What's that?"

"We still have a major problem."

"And what's that?"

"I didn't realize it until now, but yesterday Mikoto and Vivi left with Zidane."

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Well, it's probably true that Zidane wouldn't recognize us, but those two would."

Nuri stared at the sky. "_Damn, he's right!" _

"Nuri?"

"Sorry, I was thinking."

"I've been thinking to."

"You have?"

"Yeah, it's about your plan."

"What about it?"

"I don't think it'll work."

"And why's that?"

"Because we'll never be able to get pass Mikoto and Vivi."

Nuri smirked. "Such little faith you have, Goldwin."

"I just call things as I see them, Nuri."

Nuri kept his smirk. "Then tell me what you think about this." Nuri lit a cigar and continued. "Obviously, we can't get around Mikoto and Vivi based on our looks—that's true—but can fool them? Absolutely!"

"Fool them?"

Nuri puffed. "Yeah, anyone can act if they know what to do."

"And what're we to do?"

"You—by the way, would you like to go to Alexandria?"

"…I'll think about it…Tell me the rest of your plan."

Nuri nodded. "Fair enough—anyway, you and someone else go to Alexandria Castle. From there, you tell Zidane that you've defected from me—he thinks I'm the leader, after all—and that you want to live a life like the genomes from Bran Bal. We have enough money, and you can certainly stay at the inn. While you're there learn the activities of Zidane, and remain in contact with me through radio. And whenever Zidane's gone for a significant amount of time that's when you'll strike. You'll inform me before you do, of course, so I can place the Warp Stone near the fabric, and then we can return to Terra with the queen and the prince."

"And Zidane will know we have the queen and prince, because of what?"

Nuri took another puff. "Because we leave him a note."

Goldwin bit his inner cheek and nodded. "Everything sounds good, but I still have one final question."

"_Thank god this is the last one, because you sure ask a lot of them_…What's that?"

"On the odd chance that the Warp Stone fails and I'm stuck in Alexandria Castle with the queen, prince, and a couple hundred guards that want to chop my head off, what do I do then? How am I able to get out of there?"

"…That you'll have to answer for yourself. I don't know the interior of Alexandria Castle, so I can't answer that question for you. All I can tell you is that while you're in Alexandria learn the area around and inside the Castle."

Goldwin crossed his arms and stared at the snow.

"So…will you do it?"

Goldwin returned to his friend. "Yes…Yes, I will."


	5. The Defectors

**Author's Note: **Hey there, everyone! Sorry that I didn't have a note on the first chapters. I was just so anxious to put them online that I forgot to send everyone a greeting. Anyway, I hope everyone has enjoyed what I have written so far. Personally, I like this story better than I did, A Time of Peace. A Time of War. Other than that, my only message is that I hope to receive some very critical reviews. Take care!

_We'll know for the first time,  
if we're evil or divine,  
we're the last in line_—

"The Last in Line"—Ronnie James Dio

**Mother Terra**

**Chapter V**

One week later, Zidane and Garnet smiled and held hands, as they watched their son play in the slush of the courtyard. That is, until, Hunter thought it would be funny to throw some of the slush at his parents. Zidane and Garnet laughed at the innocent look on their son's face, and playfully threw some slush back at him.

The scene was one of a happy family—one, which Captain Steiner hated to stop. "Your Majesty?" Steiner said, with a salute.

"Yes?" Garnet replied, while she lifted Hunter from the ground, and kissed his cheek.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but there are two guests that would like to see Zidane."

"Two guests?" responded Zidane.

"Yes."

"Who're they?"

"There're two genomes from the Black Mage Village. Unfortunately, I can't remember their names, but they told me that you spoke to them when you were in the village about a week ago."

"_I didn't really talk too much with the genomes, except for Nuri, and I have no desire to speak with him! I really don't know who these guys are_…What do they want?"

"They want to talk to you. They told me they're genomes who defected from that one genome you told me about last week."

The word 'defected' sparked Zidane's interest. "Then I want to meet them. Can you ask Vivi and Mikoto to come too?"

Steiner nodded. "Yes, I shall look for them."

Zidane returned the nod. "Thank you."

* * *

Zidane entered the throne room with Garnet, who carried Hunter. In the throne room were Goldwin and other genome, with blonde hair and green eyes. Once the two noticed Zidane and the queen, they bowed.

"If you wish," Zidane began, while he gestured to his wife; "you may bow to my wife and son, but it's not necessary to bow to me."

The blonde haired genome was confused. "I thought it was necessary for Gaians to bow to their rulers?"

Zidane chuckled. "Well, normally it is, but I'm kind of the black sheep of the royals."

"The black sheep?"

"Yeah, it means that I'm different from the traditional royalty. Probably because I was born a commoner—from Terra, no less."

Garnet stepped before her husband and smiled. "You two can stand up now. I appreciate your respect."

"Mommy?" Hunter began, while he pointed to the genomes.

"Yes, Hunter?"

"How come they wook so much like Daddy?"

Garnet chuckled, so did Zidane.

"That's because they're Daddy's brothers."

"Bwothers?"

"That's right, Hunter, brothers," replied Zidane. "Just like Aunt Mikoto's Daddy's sister, they are Daddy's brothers. You could call them your uncles if you wished."

Goldwin and the other genome looked at each other in confusion.

Zidane chuckled. "I can tell by the looks on your faces that you have no idea what I meant."

"Oh, no," replied Goldwin, "we're familiar with the terms 'aunt' and 'uncle,' but they've never been used on us before."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you, but your reaction wasn't much different than how it was when I first referred to Mikoto as an 'aunt' before Hunter was born."

"It's alright—we weren't offended."

Zidane nodded. "Good—so, who are you?"

"Goldwin!" exclaimed Mikoto, as she emerged from the hallway with Vivi.

"And Aldous's with him!" added Vivi.

Goldwin and Aldous were stunned. They did not expect to hear from Mikoto and Vivi so soon. Nevertheless, both turned to them.

"It's good to see you again," Goldwin said.

"Yes, it truly is," added Aldous.

"Well, obviously you two know each other," replied Zidane, "but I don't know which one's Goldwin and which one's Aldous."

"I'm Goldwin, and this is Aldous," Goldwin responded, with a gesture to Aldous.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Prince Zidane," Aldous said.

"Whoa! Whoa! It's not necessary to refer to me as 'Prince Zidane,' just Zidane'll do."

"Okay, it's a pleasure to meet you then, Zidane."

Zidane smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Aldous…and the same with you, Goldwin. But now, I have to know, how was it that you defected from Nuri?"

"I'd like to know the answer to that as well—especially in Goldwin's case," interjected Mikoto. "Of all the genomes, you must've been Nuri's best friend."

"Yeah, that's what I thought as well," added Vivi.

Goldwin sighed. "Well, it all started that day Zidane visited the village. I began to think to myself that maybe Terra is a dead planet, and my future would be better here on Gaia. I told some of my thoughts to Nuri, but he wanted none of it…"

"He's persistent about the restoration of Terra, isn't he?" asked Zidane.

"Very much so," replied Aldous.

"So then what happened?"

"Because I couldn't talk about my ideas to Nuri, I tried to find someone else I knew who would listen; and Aldous, just happened to be that person."

"I take it that you had similar thoughts like Goldwin?"

"Oh, absolutely! Your speech with Nuri really made me think about my future."

Zidane chuckled. "It's funny, because I really don't remember seeing you two that day—although, my attention was focused straight on Nuri. By the way, are there others that feel the same way that you do?"

"I don't think so. They're pretty loyal to Nuri."

Zidane chuckled again. "I knew it! I knew he was really the leader!"

"Actually, Zidane," replied Goldwin, "he's not the leader."

"Then why's everyone following him?"

"Because they believe in what he stands for. Again, Nuri's not the leader, but he's very influential."

Zidane nodded. "Obviously."

"Wait!" interjected Mikoto. "I have a question."

"What's that?" asked Aldous.

"Is it safe for Vivi and I to return to the village?"

"Yeah," added Vivi, "the reason we left was because Zidane was worried about our safety. He thought you and the other genomes would attack us, because of our friendship with Zidane."

"And I think he judged wisely," responded Goldwin. "The other genomes're very supportive of Nuri. And because Nuri's furious that Zidane wouldn't help him, I can't say that he wouldn't express anger at those close to him; and that another genome wouldn't attack either you or Mikoto."

"Would they come after us here?" asked Mikoto.

"I doubt it," replied Aldous. "He doesn't have to see you, and that's enough for him."

"But when will we be able to go home?" asked Vivi. "I don't know about Mikoto, but I don't want to live in Alexandria Castle for the rest of my life."

"Neither do I," added Mikoto. "The Black Mage Village is my home."

"Perhaps either Dagger or I can speak with some of the village elders?" interjected Zidane.

"Dagger? Who's Dagger?" asked Goldwin.

Zidane chuckled. "Oh, that's what I call my wife."

"Oh, I see…Anyway, I don't think they can do very much in this case."

"Why not?" asked Garnet, while she shifted Hunter from one arm to the other—as the toddler continued to pull on her hair.

"Because none of them've said anything threatening about either Vivi or Mikoto…Besides, I'm sure all of this'll blow over soon."

"And how long is soon?" asked Zidane.

"…In a couple of weeks, hopefully."

Zidane nodded. "Very well, then…so what will you do now?"

"…We're not sure just yet. We're going to stay in Alexandria for a while. Hopefully, we'll find a job soon."

"Sounds great! Perhaps I can make your first day here a little easier."

"What do you mean?" asked Aldous.

"You can spend your first night here in the Castle."

Goldwin and Aldous were stunned.

"_Zidane sure is hospitable,"_ Aldous said.

"_He's only just met us, and he's letting us stay in the Castle. He's certainly generous_…I appreciate the offer, Zidane, but I'm afraid we have to decline."

"How come?"

"Because we've already made arrangements at the inn, and when you've registered for a particular night, you can't receive a refund."

Zidane nodded. "I understand…Tell you what, how about I pay the innkeeper the amount for tonight, he returns your money, and you spend the night here?"

Again Goldwin and Aldous were stunned.

"You'd do that for us, Zidane!" replied Goldwin. "But you don't even know us!"

"That doesn't matter. You're someone starting a new life, and I'm willing to help anyone on their first day."

Goldwin smiled. "Thank you, Zidane and Queen Garnet…We truly appreciate it."

"Yes, we do!" added Aldous.

* * *

Late that night, Goldwin and Aldous sat in a closet—with the door closed—in their guest room. The two wanted to be as quiet as possible—especially since they were in enemy territory.

"Nuri?" Goldwin whispered over a portable radio. "It's Goldwin and Aldous. Please come in, but be as quiet as possible."

There was some static, but then…"Damn, I can barely hear you two! Why're you so quiet?"

"Please lower your voice more, Nuri. We're in Alexandria Castle."

"What!" exclaimed Nuri, even though it was in a whisper.

Aldous chuckled. "We move quick, don't we?"

"I guess so, but how're you two in the Castle?"

"Zidane let us spend the night here."

"What!"

"He's quiet hospitable," replied Goldwin. "Especially when he learned we defected from you."

"What's he like?"

"He's actually quiet caring. I think if you were a person in need, he'd come and help you."

"Hmph, fascinating."

"Is there something wrong with being that kind of person, Nuri?" asked Aldous.

"No…there's not…His hospitality's something we should return to the villagers here one day. Zidane's probably not a bad person, he's just badly misled…What else is he like?"

"He's very much someone who loves his family, just as I thought that day in the village," answered Goldwin. "He and his wife were playing with their son when we arrived. After he invited us to stay, he gave us a tour of the Castle—while his wife took off with their son. And after he was done with the tour, he said that he had to leave so he could play with his son some more."

"Hmm, that's good. It means he'll be more than willing to assist me after we pull this whole thing off. Can you tell me anything else about him?"

"Well, he described himself as the black sheep of royalty, which means that he's still a commoner at heart," replied Aldous.

"Sounds nice…now then, tell me about the Castle? Goldwin, you said you were worried about what to do if the Warp Stone failed. Have you found an answer to that question yet?"

"No, I haven't. But as for the Castle itself, it's quite beautiful. There're magnificent paintings, excellent food…it's certainly quite different from the Black Mage Village."

"All of that sounds fine and good—not that it really matters much to me…What can you tell me about the queen?"

"She's very beautiful," answered Aldous. "She has dark eyes and hair, and during our entire meeting with Zidane she was holding their son. Zidane refers to her as 'Dagger,' but I'm not sure what he means by that. Perhaps it refers to their battles together when the two and their companions were battling Kuja?"

"The queen's also very kind and respectful," added Goldwin. "Like Zidane, she loves her son."

"Good, then it won't take much persuasion to get her to put that collar on…Finally, what can you tell me about the prince?"

There was a pause on that question, before Goldwin finally answered. "I'm not really sure how to answer that question. I don't know much about small children. I know that his name's Hunter, and he's two-years-old…Perhaps Aldous can answer that question?"

"Not really, all I really know is how babies are formed."

"Well, yes, I know that too—maybe I can start from there. The prince, I think, takes after his mother. He has brown eyes and hair, which I think is a mixture of his mother's dark hair and eyes, along with his father's light hair and eyes. He also has a tiny horn on his head, which I thing is a trait from his mother—because I remember hearing that Queen Garnet was born with a summoner horn, but her adoptive father—the King of Alexandria—had it removed when she was a child."

"That's correct," replied Nuri. "What else can you tell me about the prince?"

"Well, he pulled on his mother's hair the entire time we saw him…All in all, he seemed like a happy child."

"Good, then I'm sure he can live being away from his mother for some time."

"Wait! Is that really wise?" asked Aldous. "I've seen young children in the village cry when their mothers leave for a significant period of time."

"It'll be fine. It's only temporary. I just need him to be away from her long enough to negotiate…But it's late now. Contact me tomorrow from the inn."


	6. The Abduction

_Danger hidden in his eyes.  
We should have seen it from far away.  
Wearing such a thin disguise in the light of day,  
he held the answer to our prayers.  
Yet it was too good to be…  
Proof before our eyes,  
yet we could not see_—

"Play Minstrel Play"—Blackmore's Night

**Mother Terra**

**Chapter VI**

For the next three weeks, Goldwin and Aldous remained in Alexandria. They watched plays at Ruby's mini theater, drank in pubs, and remained in off-and-on contact with Zidane.

After Prince Hunter was in his crib, Zidane and Garnet decided to take a stroll through the courtyard. Although it was snowing again, Zidane and Garnet wanted to spend this time together before he left for Lindblum—to discuss international business with Regent Cid, and to spend the evening with his Tantalus brothers. While they were away, Zidane and Garnet asked Mikoto to keep an eye on their son in case he woke up. But they promised Mikoto that they would only be gone for half an hour.

The two walked arm-in-arm beneath the faint light of the moon, while the snow melted in their hair and on their coats.

"Something has been on my mind ever since this afternoon," Zidane said.

"What's that?"

"It's about Goldwin and Aldous."

"What about them?"

"I visited them today at their room in the inn."

"Yes?"

"They've been there for three weeks, and the only work I've ever known them to do is when they helped that fisherman out for one day…Where're they getting all this money? The cost of that room and food…it makes no sense."

Garnet smirked. "Maybe they're thieves, like you once were."

"Dagger, I'm being serious."

Garnet chuckled. "Yes, I know; and you're right, it doesn't make any sense. Did you ask them?"

"Yeah, kind of."

"Kind of? How do you 'kind of' ask a question? That's the same as asking a pregnant woman if she's 'kind of pregnant.' Either she is or she isn't."

"It's simple, you ask it, but you don't push it."

"So, what did you ask them?"

"I asked them how they've been able to afford this room for the last three weeks."

"And what did they tell you?"

"They told me that they had some money from Terra, and some money that they made in the Black Mage Village…Maybe I should ask Vivi or Mikoto what kind of work they did?"

"…Perhaps."

"But even then, I seriously doubt they could live in the inn for the three weeks. There's something more to this."

"I wouldn't worry about it. It's really none of your business. As a member of the royal family, you—and I—have much more important business to worry about. Goldwin and Aldous haven't committed any crimes, and they seem like good people. Therefore, I wouldn't worry about it."

Zidane sighed. "I guess you're right, Dagger."

Garnet smiled, and moved closer to Zidane.

Zidane noticed that she was shivering. "You're cold. Let's go back inside."

* * *

At the same time another conversation took place, although this one took place through radio communication.

"Nuri, are you there?" asked Goldwin.

"…Yeah, I'm here. What's going on?"

"We have news," answered Aldous.

"News…? I pray that it's good news?"

"Oh, it is!"

"Hmm, by the sound of your voice, Aldous, I'd say that it must be good news."

"Tomorrow," began Goldwin, "Zidane leaves for Lindblum. He won't return until the next day."

"Wonderful! Then tomorrow you'll strike!"

"Yes."

"Do you know what to do?"

"Yes."

"Then I have two questions to ask you."

"What're those?"

"First, when do you plan on striking? Second, if the Warp Stone does fail, what will you do?"

"We'll strike at ten in the morning—that's about an hour after Zidane leaves for Lindblum, though we'll make sure that we watch the Red Rose leave port.

"As for your second question, if the queen screams—and there's a good chance that she will—we'll use our magic to keep the guards at bay. Then we'll leap into the courtyard. From there, we can jump into the lake below and swim to safety."

"Hmm…how fast can you swim, Goldwin…? How about you, Aldous? The guards'll be shooting at you. I'm sure there're archers on the towers."

Goldwin and Aldous were silent.

"I thought as much," added Nuri.

Goldwin chuckled. "Such little faith you have, Nuri."

"Huh?"

"The lake houses the harbor, and we have enough magic in us to slow down the archers, while we secure a boat. I know stealing is wrong, but we'll leave the boat on a bank, so it can be recovered and returned to its owner. Like you said, you've got to be a little bit liberal sometimes."

"…Goldwin, you truly amaze me! I look for tomorrow to be a great success."

* * *

At nine the next morning, Goldwin and Aldous watched the Red Rose leave port. Goldwin turned to Aldous and nodded. "Now is the time."

"Wait! I have one important question."

"What's that?"

"How're we going to get the queen and the prince together?"

"Don't worry about that. That's just been made easier."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll tell you later. Let's go."

* * *

Goldwin and Aldous crossed the moat and came to the Castle's large iron doors. When they arrived, a guard stopped them.

"Master Goldwin and Master Aldous, is it?"

Goldwin nodded. "It is."

"You come here occasionally to see Prince Zidane, do you not?"

"That's correct."

"I'm sorry, but His Highness left no more than an hour ago to Lindblum."

"We're aware of that, but we have important business here anyway."

"Could you please state your business?"

"Certainly. Last night the prince consort spoke to us in our lodgings. He said something to us that was very peculiar…very queer, you could say. We'd like to discuss this matter with the queen."

The guard nodded. "I understand, but I can't give you direct access to Her Majesty. Let me take you to Captain Steiner. He can take you to the queen."

"Thank you."

* * *

Goldwin and Aldous followed the guard through the royal hall. And when the guard approached Captain Steiner, she saluted him. "Captain, Master Goldwin and Master Aldous're here to speak with Her Majesty. They told me that it's important business that involves Prince Zidane."

"Thank you, soldier," Steiner replied, before he approached Goldwin and Aldous. "It's good to see you again, Master Goldwin and Master Aldous. At present time, the queen's busy with the prince. But, if this is an important message, I shall take you to her."

"It is," Goldwin said.

Steiner nodded. "Very well."

* * *

Steiner directed Goldwin and Aldous to the royal chamber and rapped on the door. "Your Majesty?"

"Yes, Steiner?"

"Master Goldwin and Master Aldous're here to see you."

"Me? What for?"

"They say that they have some important information on Zidane that they need to speak with you about."

"Very well, I just need to place Hunter on his rocking horse. Please let them in."

Steiner did as his queen requested. And when he completed his task, he saluted the queen, and exited the room.

With Steiner gone, Goldwin shot Aldous a look. A look that implied Aldous should move very close to the nursery door.

"Goldwin, Aldous, what is it about Zidane that you need to tell me?"

"Let's move over there please," Goldwin replied, while he motioned to the nursery. "I'd prefer to discuss this away from the door. Too many unwelcome ears could hear it."

Garnet nodded. "Alright."

And once they did so, Garnet asked again, "What's this about Zidane?"

Goldwin shot Aldous the same look and answered, "It has to do with our relationship to Zidane."

"…What do you mean?"

"Hi!" Hunter interjected. He climbed off his rocking horse, and toddled over to the three.

Garnet, Goldwin, and Aldous smiled.

"Would it be alright if I held him?" Aldous asked.

"If he lets you, sure!"

Aldous held out his arms to scoop up the child, and Hunter did not protest.

"Now," continued Goldwin, "as you remember the first time we met both you and Zidane we told you that we had defected from Nuri."

"…Yes?"

"Well…there were some mistakes in the story."

Garnet was becoming agitated. "_What does any of this have to do with Zidane…!_ What mistakes are those?"

"Well, we did leave Nuri in the Black Mage Village—that's true. But we didn't defect from him. In fact, we're quite supportive of his plan."

Garnet's heart began to beat faster. She was alone with two people, who—obviously—were not friends. She did not have a weapon. There were no guards around her. And then she realized one of the men held her son. "Put my son down."

Aldous smirked.

Garnet's voice began to rise. "Please put him down."

Aldous continued to smirk, and with his free arm exposed a large knife. "Don't even think about calling the guards! One scream and baby boy's no more!"

Garnet quivered.

And by the change in Aldous' tone, and the large knife in his hand, Hunter became scared as well. "Mommy!" he cried, while he extended his arms for his mother.

"_Damn it! I forgot that the child would cry!"_ said Goldwin.

"Please give me back my son," Garnet said, almost in a whisper. She fell to her knees and began to weep.

Goldwin exposed the collar. "Only if you let me put this collar on you."

Garnet did not hesitate. "I'll do anything to save my son. Please don't hurt him."

Goldwin smiled. "Good."

Goldwin put the collar on Garnet and turned to Aldous. "Return the prince to the queen."

Aldous lowered his knife, and did as Goldwin requested.

Garnet hastily took the child. Hunter was still crying, but Garnet pacified him by cooing him and massaging his hair. "It's okay, baby."

"Let's go," Goldwin said.

"Go where?"

Goldwin did not answer her. Instead, he motioned Aldous over to him. The two formed a semi-circle, with Garnet as the centerpiece. Goldwin removed the Warp Stone, threw a note to the floor, pushed the button…and vanished!

When the four re-manifested they were at the edge of the Black Mage Village. Nuri and the others were there as well.

"Ah," Nuri began, "you succeeded! Wonderful!"

Nuri turned to another genome. "If you would please."

The other genome nodded, and took Hunter from his mother's arms.

Once again, Hunter cried.

And so did Garnet. "No! My baby! Give me back my son! It's cold, and he's not dressed…"

Garnet's cries were cut off—and Hunter's increased—when he watched his mother receive a slap on the back of the head by Nuri.

"Shut up, you dumb bitch!"

Goldwin, Aldous, and the other genomes were stunned. This was a side of Nuri they had never seen.

"What're you looking at? Do you want this dumb bitch to arouse attention, and then have the entire community of black mages and genomes from Bran Bal after us? Use your fucking brain!"

The genomes stood with their mouths open.

Finally, Nuri sighed. "You have to be a little bit liberal sometimes."

While this took place, Garnet was considerable quiet. Some of it was out of fear for her son. But the other reason was that she was chanting. Trying to summon one of her eidolons.

"You can stop!" Nuri replied, once he realized what she was doing. "That collar around your neck prevents you from summoning your eidolons…Come then, it's time to go."

"Go where?"

"To your husband's homeland."


	7. The Virus

**Author's Note:** Greetings everyone! I hope no one has been bored so far. The only comment I want to say about this chapter is that there is some explicit content. Other than that, I ask all of you to continue to read and send me some critical reviews.

_There's an evil virus that's threatening mankind_—

"Virus"—Iron Maiden

**Mother Terra**

**Chapter VII**

Although a shadow of its glorious days, Terra still held its remaining beauty—particularly its blue light. Garnet, however, did not have the opportunity to re-observe the landscape—not that it would have mattered. She was placed in a large room that was rather well furnished. Some prisoners would have found her room to be heaven. But, to Garnet, it was hell. She missed her husband. She missed her home. But more importantly, she missed her son. Garnet wanted to cry, but she realized that tears would not bring her son back to her.

Then the door to her room opened.

"Welcome to Terra," Nuri began, as he entered the room with a couple of genomes behind him. Goldwin was one of them. "Of course," continued Nuri, "I guess that's inappropriate for me to say, since you've been here once before."

Garnet said nothing, as Nuri came closer.

"I'm sorry about what happened earlier. Both with the knife incident in the Castle, and me having to slap you on the back of the head; but I had to, under the circumstances."

Garnet became fierce. "Bring me my son!"

Nuri waved a finger. "Not yet, I need you…"

"Mommy!"

Garnet gasped.

So did Nuri.

Aldous brought Hunter into the room. And for some reason, Aldous brushed his hands on his pants—as though he was trying to clean them from some disease.

"What the hell's going on here!"

Garnet paid no attention to Nuri. Her eyes were focused on her son. She held out her arms, and Hunter toddled over to her.

"Damn it," continued Nuri, "I asked a question! What the hell's going on here! I told you he was supposed to be separated from his mother until I had finished the negotiations!"

"Yes, I know that, Nuri," answered Aldous, while he finished brushing his hands.

"Then what the hell's he doing here!"

"Well, you see…I couldn't stand being around him any more."

"What! He's just a baby!"

"Well, yes, I know that. But for some reason he…he smells horrible! I mean, like the smell of death!"

"That's because he needs his diaper changed," interjected Garnet. She did not, however, look at either Nuri or Aldous. Instead she kept her eyes closed and pacified her son.

"No!" responded Hunter.

Garnet giggled. "_Well, at least he's acting normal under the circumstances."_

"A what?" added Aldous.

Now Garnet looked at Aldous and smiled. "You don't know much about little children, do you?"

Aldous said nothing.

And for a moment neither did Nuri. "Well, then change it!"

Garnet smirked. "Do I get complete, unattended, access to my son?"

Nuri became furious. He threw his hands in the air and finally sighed. "Fine…now change it!"

Garnet continued to smirk. "With what?"

"What do you mean 'with what!'"

"Well, normally I'd put another diaper on him. But since you decided to kidnap me against my will—and since I normally don't carry diapers with me—I don't have anything to change him with."

Nuri shook his fists. He turned his back to Garnet, but then he sighed and turned back. "Fine, where do we get them at?"

"At any store—too bad they probably don't exist here on Terra."

"I don't care. We'll get them. What else does he need, so we don't have to deal with this shit again?"

For the third time, Garnet smirked. "_Yes, literally."_ And she ran off a list of items Hunter needed.

Once the list was completed, Nuri turned to leave. But before he did, he heard Garnet direct a genome to find a couple of cloths and some water. "_There's no way in hell I'm going to let her boss me around like that again!"_

* * *

A few hours later, after Garnet received all that was required on her list, Nuri returned. He discovered Garnet sitting on the floor with her son. The boy appeared to be happy. He had a pacifier in his mouth and a toy bear in his hand. But once he saw Nuri, he buried his face into his mother's bosom.

Garnet glared.

But Nuri smiled. "He seems much better than when I was here earlier."

"He was until your sorry ass showed up!"

Nuri smirked. "Your voice seems more like a commoner than a queen."

At the statement, 'more like a commoner than a queen,' Garnet returned the smirk. "That's because I spent a long time around Zidane."

"It seems he's quite influential."

"Very!"

"…You're not afraid of me, are you?"

Garnet continued to smirk. "I looked Kuja in the face, who was a hell of a lot more dangerous than you! Why should I be scared of you?"

But Nuri returned his smirk. "Nevertheless, I have some important business to discuss with you."

"You have no business to discuss with me!"

Nuri sighed. "For god's sake, don't make this harder on yourself. I know that you hate me, and that's okay. If you'll only help me, you and the prince'll be able to go home soon."

Garnet smiled.

"_Ah, good!_ _She's beginning to understand."_

"_And once I return home, I'll send an assassin after you! That is, if Zidane doesn't kill you first_…Alright, let's discuss business."

Nuri smiled. "Good…Here's the deal. As you probably know my name's Nuri, and this is where I was born. And since I know you've been here before, you probably remember Master Garland's plan?"

"Yes."

"And as you also should know your husband—and indirectly, Kuja—were responsible for that plan's failure."

"Yes."

"My goal is to complete what Master Garland started, and I need you to help me convince your husband to help us."

"…Why?"

Nuri was stunned. "What do you mean, 'why'! You help us, and you and your son…"

"I understand that part of it, but what I don't understand is, why do you want to restore Terra? What good will it do? This planet is a lost cause! From what I can tell, there's nothing left but this portion that we're on, so why bother!"

Nuri smirked. "Zidane asked the same question…"

"And he told me your answer! 'Because it's the master's will.' Your master's dead! Why don't you think for yourself!"

Nuri gritted his teeth. "I am thinking for myself! I thought for myself, 'why am I here?' And the answer was to restore Terra! If you want to call that stupid, fine! But I know the world of Gaia. I know that its people follow whatever religious belief they have. Like the dwarves at Conde Petie or the citizens of Esto Gaza. It's funny that you don't say, 'they're not thinking for themselves,' yet not one of them can prove their religious beliefs; despite the fact that all of them have a reason for why they believe in them."

Garnet smirked. "It's funny that you claim to know the people of Gaia, and yet, you don't know what a diaper is."

"I know what a fucking diaper is! Don't put me in the same class as some of these other dumb-ass genomes!"

In his mother's arms, Hunter began to quiver.

Garnet decided to tone down her rhetoric. Not for her own sake, but for that of her son's. "My apologies…You're not an ignorant man, but you still don't know everything about Gaia. Nevertheless, you must be a fool to think that I—as a person from one planet—would allow another planet to do me harm."

"No harm will come to Gaia. People won't notice anything. All that'll happen is that some of Gaia's life energy will be used to restore the life energy on Terra."

"Do you know what a virus is, Master Nuri?"

"…A what?"

"A virus—it's a foreign organism that enters a person's body, and makes them sick…Sometimes it can kill them. What you have just told me sounds to me like a virus. Terra is a virus that wants to invade Gaia, and there's no way any sane Gaian would allow such a thing to happen. So you can forget my help, just like you can forget anybody else's help."

"I don't give a damn about the Gaians! I only care about the Terrans!"

"And I don't give a damn about the Terrans! I only care about the Gaians!"

"Then it appears that we have a conflict of interest."

"I guess so."

"…Maybe you're not scared of me…But I'm still the one in control of this situation!" Nuri stepped forward and grabbed Hunter's arm. He lifted the toddler off the ground, and Hunter screamed.

"Leave my son alone!"

Garnet went to grab Hunter, but a blast of fire burned her sleeve and sent her to the ground.

"Now listen to me, you fucking bitch! That was just a warning!" Nuri's hand emitted another red glow, only this time it was pointed at Hunter.

"No!" Garnet cried, over the cries of her son.

"Are you going to do what I fucking require!"

The flame became larger, and Hunter's screams increased with the flame's size.

Garnet fell to her knees and began to cry. "Yes, I'll do anything that you require! Just please leave my son alone!"

Nuri's face was still one of thunder when he nodded, and pushed Hunter back into his mother's arms. "Good, take your precious baby!" But within seconds, he appeared to be calm again. "I'm sorry about all that, but the planet must be restored at all costs."


	8. Past Times with Good Company

**Author's Note:** Greetings, everyone! The next couple of chapters will center primarily around Zidane. Garnet will return later. This chapter is also relatively short, compared to previous chapters. As always, please continue to read and give critical reviews.

_Memories are bittersweet.  
The good times we can't repeat.  
Those days are gone,  
and we can never get them back.  
Now we must move ahead.  
Despite our fear and dread,  
we're all just wishing we could stop, but life goes on.  
Come of age,  
turn the page.  
Time rolls on.  
Wipe your eyes.  
Yesterday laughs,  
tomorrow cries_—

"Can't Repeat"—The Offspring

**Mother Terra**

**Chapter VIII**

Two hours after Zidane left port, he relaxed in a bar drinking beer with his Tantalus brothers—or at least what was left of them. Of the Tantalus members Zidane grew up with, only Marcus and Cinna remained.

"I think Tantalus is coming to an end," Marcus said, after he took a drink.

"What makes you say that?" asked Zidane.

"Well, think about it. You're gone. You're married with a kid. Blank's gone. He's married, but has no kids yet. Cinna and I're really all that's left, with the exception of Baku."

"I know it hasn't been too long ago since Blank left, but it's been four years since I left."

Cinna nodded. "Yeah, but you were still around us one way or another during that time, but now we hardly ever see you."

Zidane took a drink. "I guess that's just life."

"What is?"

"Getting older—people marry and have kids. We can't do the same things we used to…But even though we can't do them anymore, we can always remember them."

Cinna took another drink. "It's true that we can always remember, but I'd like to create some new memories; and they don't exist anymore in Tantalus…Maybe it's time for me to grow up and move on."

"Move on?" asked Marcus.

"Yeah, go out on my own, like Zidane…Maybe we both could, Marcus?"

"…Yeah…maybe we could."

Zidane smiled. "Well, whenever you guys're ready, I'm ready to go back to the hideout."

"Yeah," Cinna said, as he finished his beer; "I'm ready to go. But I'm going to think about this whole idea later."

"Yeah, same here," added Marcus.

* * *

When the three returned to Tantalus' hideout, Baku approached them. Or more specifically, he approached Zidane.

"What's up, Boss?"

"Zidane, you need to go to the Castle immediately. Regent Cid said that it's urgent."

"What is it?"

"I don't know. Regent Cid just said that it's urgent."

Zidane nodded. "Okay, I'll go. I'll catch up with you guys later."

After Zidane left, Baku turned to Marcus and Cinna.

"Boys?"

"Yes, Boss?"

"I know things've been pretty damn dull around here lately…"

Marcus and Cinna were stunned. It was almost as though Baku was with them at the bar.

"…But things're about to pick up! We're going on another adventure!"

Marcus and Cinna gasped.

"We are!" asked Cinna. "Where to?"

"To Alexandria! Get the Prima Vista ready. We leave immediately!"

"Wait, Boss!" added Marcus. "What about Zidane?"

"We'll see him there. Although I said I didn't know, I actually do know what's going on."

"What!" responded Cinna. "Then why didn't you tell Zidane!"

"…I'm kind of kicking myself in the ass for that. Let's just say that it was one of those things I couldn't tell him…To be perfectly honest, it'd be hard to tell anyone what Cid's going to tell him."

At that statement, Marcus and Cinna became worried.

"What do you mean, Boss?" asked Marcus.

"I'll tell you on the way. Let's board the ship."

* * *

In Lindblum Castle, Zidane encountered Regent Cid in the throne room.

"Regent, I received a message from Baku that it was important that I came see you. So what's up?"

Cid was stunned by Zidane's question. "What! Baku didn't tell you!"

"N-no…What's going on?"

The regent sighed. "I guess Baku couldn't tell you. It'd be hard to tell anyone…"

"Cid what is it!"

"…Zidane, Garnet and Hunter have been kidnapped."

Zidane gasped. "What!"

Cid nodded. "I don't know the details very well. Steiner messaged me about forty-five minutes to an hour ago, and told me the news. He said that who did it were two genomes who had been living in Alexandria for a while, and that you were familiar with them."

"…There're only two people then it could be—Goldwin and Aldous…But how's Steiner certain of this?"

"He told me that a note was left on the floor of the royal chamber, and he said that he found it after he became suspicious when the two men he allowed to see Garnet never seemed to leave after a certain period of time."

"What did the note say?"

"I can't remember. Steiner told me, but I don't remember all the details."

Zidane nodded and began to pace. He was staying remarkable calm for someone in his situation. "Regardless of what the note says, there's one thing I don't understand."

"What's that?"

"If Goldwin and Aldous kidnapped Dagger and Hunter, how were they able to get out of the Castle? You can't just walk out of the Castle with the queen and the prince at knife point…or whatever the hell those bastards used!"

Cid nodded. "Good point, but that's a question I don't have an answer to. Hopefully when you return to Alexandria, you'll find the answer."

"Same here, I'm going back to Alexandria immediately. Tell Baku and the others that I left."

Again Cid nodded. "Certainly, but I have a queer feeling that you'll be seeing them again real soon."

"You're not leaving by yourself, Zidane!"

Eiko's voice caught Zidane off guard. "Eiko!"

The ten-year-old nodded. "I'm coming with you! There's no way I'm letting anyone hurt Dagger or Hunter!"

Zidane returned the nod. "Very well, come along with me then, Eiko."

"Please let me know whatever new information you can," added Cid.


	9. Sorrow in Alexandria

**Author's Note:** Greetings everyone! Well, I just finished taking my GRE, and if anybody out there believes in prayer, say some for me. And say some for Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd. Other than that, please continue to read and give critical reviews.

_The world is a lonely place.  
You're on your own.  
Guess I will go home, sit down, and moan.  
Crying and thinking is all that I do.  
Memories I have remind me of you_—

"Solitude"—Black Sabbath

**Mother Terra**

**Chapter IX**

One hour later, Zidane and Eiko arrived at Alexandria's port. They were met by Captain Steiner, Vivi, and Mikoto.

"I'm so sorry, Zidane," began Steiner. "I can't believe what has happened. And I don't even know how it could've happened."

"_At least he's not crying like a baby,"_ said Eiko.

"I can't believe what's happened either, Zidane" Vivi said.

"We didn't notice, Zidane," Mikoto added. "Nobody did. The next thing we knew, Dagger and Hunter were gone."

Zidane sighed. "I'm not sure what to think of it myself. Our security's good. I just can't see how it's possible that Goldwin or Aldous…that's who did it, right?"

Steiner nodded. "Yes, I have the letter."

"May I see it?"

"Yes."

"Zidane, make sure you read it out loud," Eiko said, while Zidane took the letter. "I want to know what those two said."

_Dear Zidane,_

_We have to apologize for deceiving you. For the last three weeks we have been assisting Nuri. Our goal all along has been to restore Terra, and we need your help. Of course, Nuri tried to explain that to you; and, of course, you wouldn't listen. And because of that, we had to go to extreme measures. We have taken your wife and son, and will persuade them to persuade you to help us. I know you must hate us for what we have done…_

"Damn straight I do!"

_But hear us out. No harm will come to either the queen or the prince. We won't allow it. They are being held on Terra. Come to Terra, and Nuri will talk to you._

_Again, we are sorry for what has happened,_

_Goldwin and Aldous_

"I don't care how many times they say they're sorry…I'm still gonna break those bastards in half!" Zidane wadded the letter and began to pace.

"It seems so weird though," replied Eiko. "They don't act like your typical villain—at least based on what they wrote…But I remember Zidane saying something about that one time."

When his name was stated, Zidane stopped and turned. "What did I say, Eiko?"

"You said that your enemy believes that his or her cause is as just as yours."

"…That's true, but let me tell you this. Nobody messes with my wife and kid—no one…! Hunter's who I'm worried about the most. I hope they took him directly to Terra, because Mikoto told me the temperature's always the same there."

"Unless what Kuja did altered the climate," Mikoto said.

"…Then I hope Hunter's someplace warm. He wasn't very well dressed when I left."

"I share your concern for the prince, Zidane," responded Steiner. "But what're we going to do now?"

Zidane placed his chin in between his thumb and first finger. "We have to think about what we know…But at the same time, we have to think about what we don't know."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Mikoto.

"I mean that how were Goldwin and Aldous able to escape? It's just impossible! There were too many guards and people here…It's just not possible!"

Steiner scratched his head. "I simply don't know."

"Neither do I," replied Vivi.

"…Maybe we shouldn't worry about that right now," added Mikoto. "We already know where Dagger and Hunter are; maybe we should concentrate on finding them?"

Zidane nodded. "I think you're right, Mikoto, but we still need to gather information…Steiner?

"Yes, Zidane?"

"How many people in the Castle know about what happened to Dagger and Hunter?"

"…I'm sure everybody…News travels around here pretty fast."

"…Have any servants gone home already?"

"…I don't think so."

"…Then I'm worried if I should let them leave."

Steiner was stunned. "What do you mean, Zidane?"

"I mean that I don't know if I want everyone in the city to know that Dagger and Hunter were kidnapped."

"How come?" asked Mikoto. "Wouldn't that help us find Dagger and Hunter easier if more people knew they were missing?"

Zidane nodded. "It could, but it could also lead to a witch hunt."

"A witch hunt?" asked Vivi. "What do you mean?"

"I mean exactly what happened to you four years ago. When Brahne sent her black mages to attack Burmecia and Lindblum you were blamed for the attacks—even though you had nothing to do with it."

"…So what you're saying is, is that if a genome from the Black Mage Village came to Alexandria the citizens would do to him exactly what they did to me?"

Zidane nodded. "Right."

"Then what should we do?" asked Steiner.

"…This. I'm going to write a letter to all the servants. I'm going to tell them what has happened, and that no one, with the exception of the military, is permitted to leave or enter the Castle—except in understandable circumstances. The servants may write a letter to their loved ones, but since those letters will be read by the military before they leave the Castle they shouldn't disclose personal information. I will also tell them that for their cooperation, they'll be rewarded with a nice bonus.

"As for the search in the city, I'll let the military handle that one. But if I hear of just one genome receiving unfair treatment by a soldier that soldier will be hear personally from me!"

"I'd like to prevent that from happening," interjected Mikoto.

"What do you want to do?"

"I'd like to remain in the city. If a genome enters, then I'd like the military to call me…Plus, if it's a genome from the Black Mage Village, I'd probably know who it is anyway."

Zidane smiled. "Thank you, Mikoto. That'll probably work out well."

"Now that we have that issue taken care of, what should we do now?" asked Steiner.

"We do two things, and they are based on the knowledge that we do know. The first is the inn that Goldwin and Aldous were staying at. I want to conduct a search of the inn. Perhaps we can find something there?

"The second is that we know they took Dagger and Hunter to Terra. And we know that when the genomes first arrived on Gaia they came to the Black Mage Village. Perhaps the fabric between the two worlds is around the Black Mage Village?"

Steiner nodded. "Very well then, I'll go to the inn right now."

Zidane returned the nod. "Thank you."

"I'm going with him," Vivi said.

"So am I," added Eiko.

* * *

About two hours later, Steiner, Vivi, and Eiko returned from the inn.

"So what did you find?" asked Zidane.

Steiner held up a transistor radio. "This." And he gave the radio to Zidane.

"A radio?"

Steiner nodded. "Obviously they were in contact with someone."

"Probably that Nuri guy," added Eiko.

Zidane nodded. "Yeah, probably…I take it that nobody found anything else?"

Vivi shook his head. "No."

Again, Zidane nodded. "That's alright. We're about to begin the second part of our plan."

"You mean we're going to the Black Mage Village?" asked Eiko.

"Yes, we leave immediately."

"Wait, Zidane! Shouldn't we ask our friends for assistance?"

"…No. I don't want to burden them with this problem. And for the record, Vivi, you don't have to come with us. You're under no obligation to help me."

"But I want to help you, Zidane! I'm always willing to help you!"

Zidane smiled. "But you have a family…"

"I know that I have a family, but right now I need to help your family!"

"_Vivi sure has changed from the little mage I met four years ago."_

"If I didn't help your family, who would come and help me if they came after my family one day?"

Again, Zidane smiled. "Thank you, Vivi."


	10. The Journey Begins

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! The only thing I wanted to say on this chapter is at the very end. I don't know why, but is having some trouble with the final sentences of this chapter. I've copy and pasted those lines, but they may look a little different than usual format. So I apologize for that. Other than that, please continue to read and give critical reviews!_  
_

_From the red sky of the east,  
to the sunset in the west,  
we have cheated death,  
and he has cheated us.  
But that was just a dream,  
and this is what it means,  
we are sleeping,  
and we'll dream forevermore.  
And the fragment remains of our memories.  
And the shadows remain with our hands.  
Deep grey came to morn,  
all the colors of the dawn,  
will this journeyman's day be his last?_—

"Journeyman"—Iron Maiden

**Mother Terra**

**Chapter X**

At dusk, Zidane, Steiner, Vivi, and Eiko entered the Black Mage Village, and a group of genomes and black mages greeted them.

"Vivi, you're back!" a young black mage said.

"We wondered what happened to you," added a genome. "You and Mikoto left all of a sudden. But I see now that you're back, and Zidane, Master Steiner and Miss Eiko are with you. But where's Mikoto?"

"She's in Alexandria," Vivi said.

"Really? Why?"

"She had some important business there," responded Zidane, "but hopefully she'll be back soon. All of us would love to spend an evening partying in a village, but today we're here on important business."

"Important business?"

"Yes. Are Nuri or any of the genomes that came with him here?"

"…Actually, I haven't seen any of them in a while."

"Did you see any of them today?" asked Steiner.

"…Yes, I did! I saw one of them visiting the item shop."

"Do you know what he bought?" asked Eiko.

"…No."

"Is this genome still in town?" added Vivi.

"…I don't know. I didn't bother to look."

Zidane smiled. "Thank you."

* * *

Zidane and his party entered the item shop. 

"I'm sorry," began the owner, "but we're…Vivi! Zidane! Steiner! And Eiko! It's been a while. Normally, I close my shop at this hour, but I can certainly help you!"

"Well, actually," began Zidane, "we're not here to shop. We're here to collect information."

"Information?"

"Yes…I'm not sure how to say this, but…you remember my wife, Dagger, don't you?"

"Of course! Nobody could forget her!"

Zidane smiled. "Thank you…That makes me feel good right now."

"What do you mean?"

"The queen has been kidnapped," interjected Steiner.

"What! Kidnapped! By who!"

"By Nuri," responded Vivi.

"Or more specifically, by two of the men that came here with him—Goldwin and Aldous," added Zidane.

"What! You're kidding me!"

"I wish I was," Steiner said, "but I'm afraid that I'm not. And the reason why we're here is because we learned that one of the genomes who was with Nuri visited your shop today. We need all the information we can get."

"…Yes, I do remember one of those genomes visiting my shop today."

"What time did he come here?" asked Eiko.

"Well…I think it was around noon—I think anyway."

"Do you remember what he bought?" asked Vivi.

"Yeah…and it was kind of weird."

"How come?" asked Zidane.

"Because it was stuff that you'd buy for a baby—diapers and such. I have no idea why they'd need such things. I've never seen any little children around them."

"_Hunter,"_ Zidane said, before he added, "Thanks, you've been a big help. Can I ask you to do me a favor?"

"A favor? If it's something that I can do, I'll certainly try."

Zidane smiled. "Thanks. I know that it's cold outside, but could you ask the citizens if they'd come to the square? I want to tell them what I told you."

The owner nodded. "I'll do what I can, Zidane."

* * *

One hour later—despite the temperature—all of the Black Mage Village citizens gathered in the square. Zidane stood before them with Vivi, Steiner, and Eiko behind him. 

"Everyone, I want to thank you for bearing the cold weather, and listening to me this evening. I'm sure that some of you can remember that I was here a little over a month ago, and when I confronted Nuri. My conversation with Nuri did not go so well. He requested my help in the restoration of Terra, and I refused…And because of that, he decided to become a coward and kidnap my wife and son."

The genomes and mages gasped.

"Nuri believes that by kidnapping my wife and son it'll convince me to help him. Instead, all it's going to get for him is a good kick in the ass! But before I can do that, I need your help."

The crowd was perked up.

"When Nuri and his genomes left Terra for Gaia they came here. And I believe there's a reason why. And that reason is that there must be a warp between Gaia and Terra around this village. I need you to help me find it. I know that it's late, and that it's cold, and that some of you can't help me right now, and that's okay. But if you could help me in any way right now I'd appreciate it."

Although the weather forced many of the citizens to return to their homes, some decided to stay.

"Zidane?"

"Yes?"

"I'm not sure if you remember me, but I'm the owner of the synthesis shop."

Zidane examined the mage. "You're Master 24, aren't you?"

Master 24 smiled. "I'm glad that you remembered me."

Zidane returned the smile. "How could I forget? Those daggers you forged for me really helped me on that journey four years ago."

"Thank you. Well, I have some information for you."

"Yes?"

"About a month ago, Nuri—and his friend, Goldwin—came to my shop. And today, one of the genomes that have been with Nuri came to my shop."

"Really? What did they buy?"

"A pair of Warp Stones."

"Warp Stones?"

"Yes. The Warp Stone is something that my apprentice, Sharif, designed. The stone comes in pairs, and when a person uses them they're able to warp to where the other stone's located."

"…So what you're saying is, is that if one of those stones was here—and the other was in Alexandria—they could warp to either place?"

"Yes. There's a button on the stones, and when someone pushes the button they warp to wherever the other stone's located."

"_That explains how they were able to escape the Castle."_

"Zidane?" Steiner called.

"Yes?"

"I think we have found something. Please follow me."

* * *

Steiner directed Zidane to the very edge of the village—an area where most of its citizens do not trod. 

"Zidane," began Steiner, "this young man's name is, Sharif. He's the synthesis shop owner's apprentice."

Zidane smiled at the young mage. "Yes, I just heard about you from your master. Apparently the people that we're looking for bought something that you designed."

"Yes, they did," responded Sharif, "and that's why I brought you here."

Sharif held out a small stone. "Have a look at this."

"What is it?"

"That's one of the Warp Stones. I've only sold two of them—one was to Nuri, and the other was to that one associated with him."

"So what you're saying is that if one of those stones is here, then the entrance to Terra must be around here somewhere as well?"

"I think so," responded Steiner.

"But how're we going to find the entrance?" asked Vivi.

"Excuse me, Mr. Zidane?"

Zidane turned to discover a female black mage—no more than four-years-old. Behind her were two older black mages that were probably her parents.

Zidane smiled. "You're up late, aren't you?"

The mage returned the smile. "My mommy and daddy let me come out after I told them something. They said that it might help you."

"Oh? And what was that?"

"One of those genomes told me where they came from."

Zidane was very interested. "And where's that?"

"The cave that's down the hill," the girl said while pointing.

Zidane turned to Vivi. "Vivi, do you know where this cave is she's talking about?"

"Yes, but we need a torch to get there."

"Okay." And turning to the young mage, Zidane added, "Thank you."

* * *

Zidane secured a torch, and Vivi led the party down the hill. The cave was small, but large enough for the party to enter. 

"This is the cave. I've never been in it before, so I don't know what to expect."

"I guess we're about to find out," Zidane said.

* * *

When the party took a few steps inside the cave, they realized that they did not need their torch anymore. 

"Look at that light," Steiner said.

"Yes," began Zidane, "it's the same blue light we saw on Terra four years ago. Obviously we came to the right place. I don't know about you, but have you noticed how it's gotten slightly warmer since we've come closer the light?"

The party members nodded.

"Mikoto told me that Terra isn't like Gaia. There're no climate changes—everything's the same year 'round…Well, are you ready?"

"Wait, Zidane!" Steiner said. "Where're we supposed to go?"

"We'll know once we arrive. Nuri told me that day in the village that Terra has been reduced to nothing but a small island. We'll have no trouble finding Dagger and Hunter. The only problem'll be getting them out." 


	11. Sitting in a Dream

**Author's Note:** Greetings, everyone! I just wanted to leave everyone with a note that this chapter is going to break away from Zidane and return to Garnet. And from what I can tell, this chapter will be the shortest that I have written so far. As always, please continue to read and give critical reviews!

_I'm just passing time before the ball.  
Playing my guitar.  
I don't have to be where I don't want to be at all.  
Maybe I'll go far.  
Going nowhere, sitting in a dream, in a dream_—

"Sitting in a Dream"—Roger Glover and Guests (Ronnie James Dio on vocals)

**Mother Terra**

**Chapter XI**

"Holpel," a young-dark haired and eyed woman—with a summoner horn—said.

"Hol-pel?" replied a young girl, with similar features to the young woman.

"Sarah! I didn't know you were here!" But then the young woman smiled. "I see that you caught me chanting a spell."

"A spell?"

"Yes, a spell. It's something that you'll learn one day too." The young woman placed Sarah on her lap. "We're summoners, Sarah. Of the people who live on this world, we've been here the longest."

"Really?"

The woman smiled. "Yes, really! We're the people who named this world 'Gaia.'"

"Mommy?"

"Yes, Sarah?"

"Where do the other people come from?"

"…I don't know." She began to chuckle. "I don't know if I'm right or wrong about us being the first people on Gaia. You're very smart for a four-year-old girl, Sarah. I hope you know that."

Sarah smiled. "What's the spell about, Mommy?"

"Oh, yes, the spell! Well, Sarah, this spell was taught to me by your grandmother. It combines two spells—holy and repel. Both stop evil, but the two together can remove almost any evil…You're pretty good with magic already, Sarah, but I hope that you'll never have to use this spell. But if you do, I'm sure that you'll use it at the right time."

* * *

"Mother!" gasped Garnet. She woke up with a jerk, and that jerk woke up her son—who was asleep on her chest. 

Hunter whined, and Garnet pacified him. "I'm sorry, baby."

Garnet carried Hunter over to a chair. She stroked his hair, and placed her cheek into it. "_That was my mother…my real mother. It's weird. I have no memories of that day, and yet I believe them to be true. Holpel…a spell that can remove any evil in my life? The only evil I have in my life right now is Nuri."_

Garnet returned Hunter to the bed, and sat beside him. "_I wonder if this collar."_ She placed her hand on it. "_Nuri told me that this collar prevented me from summoning eidolons, but…"_ Garnet held out, and it emitted a glow. "…_it doesn't prevent me from using magic. So, I wonder?"_

Garnet moved to a corner of her cell that was away from her son. "Holpel!"

Once the spell was said, the collar fell. Garnet was free from the collar, but she was not free from her cell.

"_Now I can summon eidolons again. But I'm not sure how to leave. I know it's the best time to leave with everyone asleep, but Hunter'll just wake them up."_

"It's about time!" a voice said. "I was so sick of that collar repelling me."

Garnet gasped. Before her stood an old man in white robes and a long white beard. "Ramuh!"

The god of thunder smiled. "Yes, I've come back to you—just as I did on that day four-years-ago. I can sense your dilemma, and I have a way to help."

Ramuh pointed to Hunter. "Go. Pick up your child."

Garnet did as Ramuh requested. Amazingly, with his head on Garnet's shoulder, Hunter did not wake up.

"Now, knock on the door."

Again, Garnet did as Ramuh requested.

A genome was posted outside to guard. And when he heard Garnet knock he responded, "Yes? What is it?"

"Invite him in," whispered Ramuh.

"I need to see you about something."

The genome opened the door, but he quickly turned pale at the sight of Ramuh. The genome's lips quivered, and his body shook. He fell to his knees and fainted.

"Now go! I will help guide you, although I think that you know the way back to Gaia."

Garnet nodded. "Thank you."

"There's no reason to thank me. I'm just serving my master."


	12. Terra Revisited

**Author's Note:** Greetings everyone! Well, I want to begin by thanking Mar, or "Tablet of Dreams" as she's known on She acted as my editor for my previous chapters, but now I'm going to edit my own material—which will make getting new chapters out much easier. Still, I want to thank her for her help. Other than that, please continue to read and give critical reviews!

_When the sun sets over cherry blossom skies,  
and the twilight fills the air,  
you can see the snow on the mountaintops,  
through the veil of old Japan.  
On an island led by the ancient ways,  
just a million miles from here,  
and yet it seems like only yesterday,  
that her song rang out so clear_—

"Benzai Ten"—Blackmore's Night

**Mother Terra**

**Chapter XII**

"This is all that's left?" Captain Steiner said about his surroundings. "A vast ocean and a lowly island. Who would want to revive this?"

"…I think that I can understand them," Eiko said. "Even though I wasn't born on the day that Garland attacked Madain Sari—and reduced it to a pile of rubble—most people wouldn't want to live there, but it was still home to me; and I still enjoy going to visit it. There may be nothing left on Terra, but it's still home to Nuri and his genomes."

"…Fine," Zidane said, "but that doesn't give them the right to kidnap my wife and son…"

"I agree," interjected Eiko.

"Or harm Gaia. If they love Terra so much, they should come here on a holiday."

Once Zidane finished his sentence a genome approached them. "Ah, you made it! Welcome to Terra!"

The genome presented the party with a courtly bow, but the gesture infuriated Zidane.

For his courtesy, the genome received a kick to the jaw. Blood flew from his mouth, and the genome fell; but Zidane lifted him up by the hair, and placed a dagger at his throat.

"You kidnap my wife and son, and you expect me to be happy to see you! Like I'm going to some damn ball!" Zidane pushed the genome's head back into the ground, before he lifted him up again. "Now, I'm going to make this very clear to you. If you even think about casting a spell on me this blade'll easily slice your throat, and you'll be dead within five minutes. Understand?"

"Y-yes."

"Good. Now then, where's your master?"

"We-we don't have a master. We're all…"

The genome screamed as Zidane cut some of the hair above his ear.

"I don't want to hear this, 'we're all one' shit! Now where's Nuri?"

The genome gasped. "He's…he's in a house straight ahead."

Zidane removed the dagger, pushed him to the ground, and stood with his foot on his head.

Zidane turned to the party. "Draw your weapons."

And the party did as Zidane requested.

Finally, Zidane removed his foot from the genome; and informed him, "You lead the way."

* * *

The terrified genome did as Zidane required.

"_Hmm,"_ Zidane said, "_I guess Nuri didn't set any traps for us, because this guy's traveling the exact same way he told us to travel."_

In the distance, a small cottage could be noticed.

"Okay, this is where Nuri is. Now can I go?"

"No, I want you to give us a personal introduction."

"But why?"

"Because it comes down to two choices. The first choice is that you take us to Nuri. The second choice is that your internal organs become a fixture on Steiner's sword. It's your choice. So what's it gonna be?"

The genome gulped. Perspiration mixed with dried blood on his lips. "This way."

Outside the cottage Nuri stood smoking a cigar. Ironically, Nuri did not stop when he saw Zidane approach him with one of his genomes as a prisoner.

"Zidane, let Calum go," Nuri said, with a puff of his cigar.

Zidane's party was stunned by Nuri's actions.

"_Even with one of his men in danger it doesn't seem like he cares,"_ Vivi said.

"_Something's wrong here,"_ responded Eiko.

"_How can he be so cool, calm, and collective?"_ added Steiner. "_He must be planning something."_

"Release Dagger and Hunter this instant, and I'll let him go!" replied Zidane.

Nuri gestured to be patient, and took another puff. "All in good time."

"'All in good time' my ass! Release them right now!"

Nuri sighed, threw the cigar to the ground, and tossed a fireball. His aim was not at Zidane but at the party.

In response, Zidane sliced Calum's throat. His cut was not strong enough for a finishing blow, but that did not stop the flow of blood.

Steiner, Eiko, and Vivi fell back. They tried to launch a counterattack, but were stopped by an army of genomes. The magic that the genomes used pushed Steiner, Vivi, and Eiko back even further.

Nuri approached Zidane with a smirk. But Zidane did not return the smirk. Instead he waited patiently, with daggers drawn. Nuri held out his palm, and a ball of fire charged from it. Zidane dodged the attack and counterattacked. One of his blades left a cut on Nuri's shirt, but it did not penetrate the skin. Nuri attempted a counterattack, but Zidane dodged that attack again. Zidane's second attack produced a different effect, however. Zidane's daggers did not pierce Nuri's skin, but they did knock him down. Nuri was helpless, and Zidane prepared the finishing blow, but two men—Goldwin and Aldous—stopped him.

Goldwin and Aldous' magic struck a blow that was not strong enough to kill Zidane, but it was strong enough to make him drop his daggers and lose consciousness.

Nuri picked up Zidane's lifeless body—and with Goldwin and Aldous around him—used another warp stone to vanish.


	13. Imprisonment

_Death in the air,  
strapped in the electric chair,  
this can't be happening to me.  
Who made you God to say,  
_'_I'll take your life away from you'?_—

"Ride the Lightning"—Metallica

**Mother Terra**

**Chapter XIII**

Whenever Zidane reopened his eyes he found himself in irons—his arms, legs, and neck were all in chains. To his right, Zidane heard someone address Nuri.

"I have some bad news to tell you."

"What's that?"

"The queen and the prince have escaped."

"What! How in the hell did that happen! That was Quillan's responsibility!"

"Yes, it was on his watch, and it was him who told me. He said that he was too scared to face you."

Nuri sighed. "Fine, what did he tell you?"

"He told me that the queen knocked on the door, and that when he opened it a man was with her and the prince."

"A man?"

"Yes, a man in long-flowing white robes with a long white beard. Quillan told me that power flowed through his body—like it was the power of a god. He also told me it was his power that caused him to faint."

"…When he woke up did he examine Garnet's cell?"

"Yes."

"Was Garnet's collar in there?"

"…I think so."

"Then that explains it."

"Explains what?"

"The god Quillan saw was an eidolon…I don't know which one it was, but it doesn't really matter…Nor does it matter that we don't have the queen or the prince in our possession…I need to be alone for a while. Please leave me, Zagger."

"Yes, Nuri."

After Zidane heard a door shut he heard Nuri walk over to him.

Zidane greeted Nuri with a smirk.

Nuri was stunned by the gesture. "You're awake!"

"Yes, and I heard everything; and I think that it does matter that you no longer have Dagger and Hunter in your possession. Do you think I would've come all this way if it weren't for them! Your whole purpose was to use them to convince me to help you restore Terra. And now that's gone. You have nothing."

Nuri was silent for a moment, but then he smiled. "It doesn't matter."

Zidane was stunned.

"The only reason why I kidnapped Garnet and Hunter was so I could get you to come here. And now that I've accomplished that it doesn't matter whether or not I have them."

"And somehow you think my attitude'll change over Terra?"

Nuri smirked. "It'll change very soon."

"It won't, but that doesn't really matter; my friends're coming soon."

Nuri continued smirked. "Your friends have abandoned you. I watched them flee in terror from an army of genomes."

"…They'll come back."

"What makes you think so?"

Zidane smiled. "They're my friends…But even if they don't come back, I can live with that. So long as Dagger and Hunter are all right."

"…Why don't you want to help in the resurrection of Terra?"

Zidane shot Nuri a look. "Do I have to explain that to you again!"

Nuri smiled. "Yes. Yes, you do."

Zidane glared. "Fine! It's because Gaia's my home, and what you're trying to do is to destroy the home of my friends and family."

Nuri shook his head and began to pace. "I have no intention of destroying the home of your friends and family. I simply want to merge Terra with it."

"Just like a cancer in someone's body."

Nuri stopped, and presented Zidane with cold stare. "How dare you call it that!" But then he sighed. "Look…no, I'm going about this the wrong way."

Nuri left, and came back with what appeared to be a projector. "I have something that I want you to see."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes, you have to!"

The projector displayed a world—a world in bright blue, with flowing streams, and vegetation.

"The world you just saw is Terra from 2000 years ago. Wasn't it beautiful?"

"…I'd be a liar if I said it wasn't beautiful. But what I don't understand is, if the waters flowed like that, why don't they flow like that anymore?"

"…I don't know…I assume climate change. The fact that the waters no longer flowed like that affected our vegetation—along with our meats."

"…What damage did Kuja do to the interior?"

"Nothing. All Kuja did was destroy Terra's crust, with the exception of this island…But it looks like my purpose in showing you all of this has succeed."

"Huh?"

"I wanted you to think for a moment, and I've accomplished that. I wanted you to think about what you were refusing to help. You have seen what Terra used to look like. And you, yourself, have stated that you thought Terra was once beautiful. Don't you want to help Terra relive its former glory?"

"…No."

"What!"

"Terra was once a beautiful planet—I admit that—but its days're gone. Gaia is now the place to live."

Nuri crossed his arms; and, again, turned his back to pace. But eventually he stopped and turned back. "Would you feel the same way if the planets' roles were reversed?"

"…What do you mean?"

"How would you feel if Gaia was in the position that Terra's now in? Would you save your home planet by merging it with another?"

"…I understand your position, Nuri…It just so happens that you and I are on the opposite side of the spectrum."

Again—for a moment—Nuri was silent, but then he smirked. "We are for now."

"What do you mean?"

Nuri did not answer. Instead, he pushed a button. A jolt of electricity entered Zidane's body.

Zidane recoiled.

Nuri smiled. "I can push this button all I want to…And I can increase the voltage." Nuri pushed the button again, but this time with extra voltage.

Zidane screamed even louder.

Nuri chuckled. "So now, do you want to help restore Terra?"

Zidane gasped. "No."

Nuri sneered. "Fine!" He increased the electricity—and again—Zidane screamed. And with each scream Nuri continued to chuckle and push the button. "Now, Zidane! Now do you want to help restore Terra!"

Zidane did not respond.

Nuri smirked. "Looks like he passed out…Fine, whenever he wakes up I'll give him another round of torture. He'll have no choice but to help me."


	14. Back in the Village

_Back in the village again,  
in the village,  
__I'm back in the village again_—

"Back in the Village"—Iron Maiden

**Mother Terra**

**Chapter XIV**

At dusk a knock came on Garnet's door at the inn.

"Your Majesty?"

Garnet gasped. "Steiner? Steiner is that you!"

"Indeed, it is! Along with Master Vivi and Lady Eiko."

Garnet opened the door, and embraced them.

At Garnet's side toddled Hunter, who flashed a smile through his pacifier.

"Hi, baby Hunter!" exclaimed Eiko, while she lifted him from the floor and tickled him.

But while Eiko played with Hunter, Captain Steiner examined his queen and prince. "Did Nuri harm either one of you?"

"No, we're fine." Then Garnet smiled. "I'm so happy to see all of you again." But her smile faded when she looked down the hall. "Wait! Where's Zidane?"

On that question Steiner, Eiko, and Vivi became silent—although Hunter continued to giggle.

"That's why we can't celebrate just yet," Steiner said.

"Why! What's going on!"

"We came to Terra to rescue you this morning," Vivi said. "It was us and Zidane. But when we met Nuri we were attacked by an army of genomes. We were pushed back, and Zidane was captured."

Garnet gasped, and covered her mouth. "We have to get him out!"

"We will!" assured Eiko. "But based on what we know, I don't think Nuri'll harm Zidane. He's too valuable to him. But what I don't understand, Dagger, is how were you able to escape?"

"…This is going to sound weird, but I had a dream. I had a dream about my mother—my true mother. I didn't remember ever experiencing this event in my life, but yet, I believe it to be true. I don't know how old I was, but my mother was telling me about this spell—a spell that could remove almost any evil."

"What was the name of the spell?"

"Holpel—a combination of repel and holy."

"Oh, yes! I remember hearing something about that from my grandfather. How did you use the spell?"

"To remove this collar that Goldwin placed around my neck that day he and Aldous abducted me and Hunter from the Castle."

"What did the collar do?" asked Vivi.

"It kept me from summoning eidolons. But once I was free of that collar Ramah, the god of thunder, appeared to me…It was kind of ironic that he did, because he came to me that day when we weren't able to go to Treno. Remember, Vivi?"

"Yes, I remember."

Garnet was about to continue the rest of her tale, until her mind started to wonder. She thought about Zidane. He was there the day that event occurred as well. "_Zidane."_

"Is something the matter, Your Majesty?"

"…No, Steiner, I'm fine."

"Damn it, Steiner!" exclaimed Eiko. "Can't you tell that Dagger's worried about her husband!"

But Garnet gestured Eiko to relax. "It's all right, Eiko; I'm fine…And I know that Zidane's fine. He survived Kuja and the Lifa Tree. What can Nuri do to him?"

Steiner nodded. "Agreed!"

"So what happened next?" asked Vivi.

"Ramah scared off the guard that Nuri had guarding my cell, and he helped lead me out of Terra and back to Gaia with Hunter."

"Wait a minute!" began Steiner. "When did all of this take place?"

"Sometime early in the morning. I don't know the exact time. Time flows differently on Terra."

"I understand that, but how could we have missed you? We must have left Gaia around the time that you returned to it. I don't know how we could've missed you."

"I don't know either, but we can't worry about that right now. We have to get Zidane out of Terra."

"Absolutely!" replied Eiko. "But we have to think of a strategy. If we go in there the same way we did before those genomes'll only push us back."

"Then we need more people."

"Your Majesty, we could summon our forces."

"…Yes. Yes, that sounds like a good idea, Steiner. But let's take only what we need. We don't need to move the entire military. We can also see if some of our friends would like to help as well. Let's return to Alexandria, and I'll work to make contact with Freya, Quina, Amarant, and Tantalus."


	15. Not a Prisoner

_Not a prisoner.  
I'm a free man.  
And my blood is my own now.  
Don't care what the past was.  
__I know where I'm going-out!_—

"The Prisoner"—Iron Maiden

**Mother Terra**

**Chapter XV**

When Zidane opened his eyes for the second time in his cell he noticed something different—one of his arms was not in chains. And as he pondered why this was so, he felt his other arm being released—by Goldwin and Aldous. "_What the hell's going on? Why're they removing my chains? Not that it matters. I must be patient."_ And Zidane was patient. Within seconds after the final shackle was removed, Zidane struck.

"Wait! Wait, Zidane!" Aldous said, after being knocked to the ground—while he peddled away on his hands and knees like a spider. "We're here to help you!"

But Zidane would hear none of it. He kicked Aldous in the chin; and when Goldwin came to help, he knocked him down as well.

"Wait, Zidane!" began Goldwin. "He's telling the truth! We're really here to help! We defected from Nuri."

"Right, just like what you told me three weeks ago. Do you really think I'm stupid enough to fall for that bullshit again!"

"Zidane, wait!" Goldwin tried again. "I know that we lied to you before, and I don't blame you for wanting to kick our ass…"

"I could handle you lying to me," Zidane began, as he kept an eye on Goldwin and Aldous, "but you kidnapped my wife and son, and that's not very forgivable."

"Zidane, please hear me out!"

Zidane was growing impatient, but he gave Goldwin and extra moment of time.

"Look, I'll skip to the point. If we weren't here to help you, would we be giving you your weapons?"

Goldwin held out the belt that contained Zidane's daggers, and he held the butt of the blades where Zidane could easily grab them.

With one hand, Zidane grabbed the center of the belt; and with the other, grabbed the butt of one of the daggers.

Goldwin and Aldous did not strike him.

Zidane fastened his belt. "All right, I'm starting to believe you. Talk! What's going on?"

"It all started yesterday, when we watched you hold Calum hostage. Nuri fired a shot. Not at you, but at your party. Nuri had no concern for Calum. He didn't care whether he lived or died. Part of the reason why we struck you that day was to get you away from Calum—even though it was under Nuri's orders. We feared that you would kill him if we didn't.

"That's not the only reason, of course. It's time we—especially myself—stopped living in a fantasy world and accept reality. Nuri is the boss. He likes to say that we're all equals, so he won't look like a dictator—despite the fact that he is, and if you disagree with Nuri—on an issue that he cares enough about—consequences will come your way…He'd even kill me, his best friend…I regret everything that we've done to you, Zidane, but perhaps there's a way that we can make it up."

"This door," Aldous said, while he pointed, "leads into Nuri's quarters—his basement more specifically. Nuri doesn't have any genomes around him. It'll be a one-on-one battle between you and him."

"_This could still be a trick…_Both of you, open the door."

Goldwin and Aldous nodded.

And Zidane followed, with his hands on the butt of his daggers.

Goldwin and Aldous also kept an eye on Zidane.

Aldous opened the door. There were no monsters or genomes on the other side.

"Step forward," commanded Zidane.

The two did as Zidane requested.

Finally, Zidane smiled. "I guess you guys were telling the truth. What will you do now?"

For a moment the two were silent. Then Goldwin answered. "I don't know. All I know is that we can't stay here. We decided to go to Gaia, but we're not sure where."

"We obviously can't go anywhere near Alexandria," added Aldous. "Garnet would have our heads!"

"…That's something Dagger's not fond of doing…But in this case, I can see her doing it; and for the most part, I wouldn't blame her."

Goldwin and Aldous swallowed a lump.

But Zidane returned his smile. "However, because of you helping me, I can petition her to pardon you."


	16. Kill the King

**Author's Note**: Greetings everyone! This is the next to last chapter. What I wanted to let everyone know about this chapter is that I tried to make it better than the final conflict between Zidane and Haldan in A Time of Peace. A Time of War. Hopefully, I have done so. As always, I ask you to continue to read and give critical reviews.

_Kill the king.  
He'll rule no more.  
Strike him dead.  
The people roar,  
_'_Kill the king.  
Take his head'_—

"Kill the King"—Rainbow

**Mother Terra**

**Chapter XVI**

Although it was never dark on Terra that did not matter to Zidane right now. The hallway had no light, and Zidane did not have a torch. "_Well unless there's some monstrous cat I have to fight I should be all right."_

Eventually Zidane came across a faint ray of light. "_It's a door. Nuri must be on the other side. How should I go about this?"_ Zidane reclined against a wall, crossed his arms, and stared at the ceiling. "_I'll open the door slowly, and if Nuri's on the other side I'll strike! And if he's not, then I'll stalk him. Nuri may know about my past with Kuja, Haldan, or my relationship to Terra; but he knows nothing about my history as a thief."_

Zidane opened the door with a dagger drawn, but Nuri was not on the other side. Nor was he within eyesight of Zidane.

Zidane took the role of a hunting fox. Finally he discovered his prey. Nuri sat, with his back to Zidane, smoking a pipe.

"_Got him! He's caught off guard. I'll slice his throat before he realizes it!"_

Zidane became an assassin, and Nuri acted oblivious to the threat on his life. But as Zidane went to strike, Nuri moved, and struck Zidane with a right cross. Because he was caught off guard, Zidane lost his dagger. It was picked up by Nuri and tossed away.

Nuri smirked. "Well, well, I had a feeling that you might escape. I know about your past as a thief."

Zidane was shocked.

And Nuri chuckled. "By the look on your face it appears as though you underestimated me. I'm not stupid, Zidane; in fact, I'm far from it! Most of these dumbass genomes out here are nothing but pawns, but I'm an intellect. For example, I'm sure you're wondering how I was able to dodge your attempt to kill me?"

Zidane was interested.

"Well, it's quite simple, really. Look around."

Nuri gestured. There were mirrors along the walls. "I put these mirrors here intentionally. To protect myself in case you tried to sneak up on me and kill me."

Zidane returned to his feet. "I admit that I was a fool for underestimating you in this sense," and then he unsheathed his other dagger, "but I promise you that I won't make the same mistake twice!"

Nuri smiled. "Then I take it this is the final battle?"

"What do you think!"

Nuri chuckled. "Well then, if you win I can accept my fate, but can you accept yours if I win?"

"…Yes."

Nuri smiled, and shook his head. "I don't think you understand me. It's true, of course, that if you beat me my life will end. But I don't want to kill you. I can't kill you. If I win you have to unquestionably help me restore Terra, got it?"

"…Fine."

Nuri continued to smile. "Excellent…"

But Zidane would not give Nuri a chance to gloat over what he wanted. He slashed his dagger at Nuri's face. Nuri dodged, but did not counterattack.

"_I don't understand. He's not stupid. Why isn't he trying to mount some offense? He can't dodge these blows forever."_

Nuri continued to dodge. And Zidane attacks became slower and slower. Eventually, Zidane gasped.

Finally, Nuri counterattacked—a punch to the side of Zidane's head. The punch was not strong and would not have knocked Zidane down had it not been for Nuri wearing him out.

"You're not too hard to figure out. Without those daggers you have no other attacks. That's the difference between you and me. You're one-dimensional; and I'm multi, which I'm sure is something that shocked you. I can do a little more than just magic—oww!"

Nuri was silenced by a cut on his shin. He fell back, and placed his hand on the wound. Blood seeped through it.

"While I may have underestimated you earlier, now you're underestimating me!"

Nuri returned to his feet; but whenever he moved, he grimaced.

"_Now I've got him! He can't move!"_

Zidane went for a finishing blow. And while Zidane was right that Nuri could not dodge his attack like he could earlier that did not stop Nuri from using a blast of fire. The blow caught Zidane in the shoulder. He fell, clutching his shoulder, and screaming. Nuri followed his attack with a kick to the head. Zidane bent over backwards, released his dagger, and was barely conscious.

Nuri grinned wickedly over his body. "Well, well, it looks like I'm the victor. Now then, you will keep your vow and help me, won't you, Zidane?"

Zidane groaned.

"What's that?"

No answer came. Instead the door opened.

On the other side stood Garnet, Steiner, Vivi, Eiko, Freya, Quina, Marcus, Blank, and Cinna.

"Zidane!" exclaimed Garnet.

"Don't take another step!" glared Nuri. "The battle's over. I won."

The party's lips quivered. They interpreted the sentence 'I won' to mean that Zidane was dead.

"What!" Garnet said.

Nuri grinned. "Yes, that's right. I won the battle. And as an agreement between gentlemen we made some stakes for this match. If I won the match Zidane agreed to help me restore Terra. And guess what? I won! Therefore, he has to help me."

"That may be an agreement between you two," Steiner said, "but that doesn't mean we have to honor it!"

Nuri glared.

"We outnumber you by about ten-to-one. You can't defeat us. Let him go, and come with us," Steiner flashed his blade, "or else!"

Nuri grinned. "'Or else' what? You'll kill me? That's what you would do if I came with you anyway, so what's the difference? Even if you do kill me it doesn't matter. My plan won't die with me. Someone else will come and take my place. Just like I did for Garland."

"Who? The genomes that were loyal to you? They have either been killed or surrendered. And we captured Goldwin and Aldous. They'll eventually be executed for kidnapping two members of the royal family, even though they're trying to claim that they helped Zidane."

"Steiner," began Zidane.

The party gasped as Zidane rose to his feet. One side of his blonde hair was soaked with blood, and his shoulder was badly burned.

"It's all right," Zidane added with a smile, even though he staggered. "We had an agreement. And the agreement said that if I lost I would help him restore Terra. I can't go against an agreement."

Garnet's lip quivered. She could not believe what Zidane was saying.

"However," continued Zidane, and with the speed of a ninja he gutted Nuri, "the agreement also said that if I won your life would end, and nowhere did I say that I surrendered!"

Nuri staggered. He tried to remove the dagger from his stomach, but could not. "You…bastard…! You…tricked me!"

"I'm a thief, remember?"

Nuri continued to stagger. He came upon a window and was finally able to remove the dagger. But it was too late. With his final piece of life, Nuri looked at the sky. It was his way of saying goodbye to his beloved planet before he breathed his last.

Zidane picked up his bloody dagger, and turned to the party. "Guys, you're late."

Garnet's lip quivered again. And finally she cried, when she embraced Zidane.

Zidane stroked her hair. "It's all right now. We can go home."

"Zidane," Freya began, "how on earth did you do that! I didn't even see the blade in your hand."

"You helped me, Freya…All of you helped me actually. While you guys were talking with Nuri, I was able to gather my wits. I saw the dagger at my side and was smart enough to hide it. It's something Baku taught me as a kid."

Cinna smiled. "The boss'll be happy to hear that."

Zidane turned to Steiner. "By the way, Goldwin and Aldous were telling the truth. They did help me escape."

And then Zidane turned to Garnet. "Pardon them please. I could tell this time that they sincerely understood their mistakes. It wouldn't be right to kill them. If you have to punish them, give them a small prison sentence."

Garnet paused, but then she sighed. "Very well, they're free to go."

Zidane smiled, and kissed Garnet. "Thank you. I'm sure they'll follow us. They want to live on Gaia now…Shall we go to the Black Mage Village pub?"

The party cheered.


	17. Home Again

**Author's Note:** Greetings everyone! Well, this is it, the final chapter. I want to thank everyone who read and reviewed this story—although the ones who gave critical reviews I thank the most. I don't know if I'll ever write a sequel to this one. Chances are I probably won't—unless someone gives me just a really good idea. But I'm moving on to other things. Thanks again though!

_Everybody's got to live together.  
All the people got to understand.  
So love your neighbor like you love your brother.  
Come and join the band.  
All you need is love and understanding.  
Ring the bell and let the people know.  
We're so happy, and we're celebratin'.  
Let your feelings show.  
Love is all.  
Love is all.  
Can't you hear the call?  
Love is all you need.  
Love is all you need,  
at the Butterfly Ball_—

"Love is All"—Roger Glover and Guests (Ronnie James Dio on vocals)

**Mother Terra**

**Chapter XVII**

A few months later, Zidane entered the royal chamber with a newly purchased book. He placed the book on a table near the Master bed, and turned to his wife.

Zidane embraced Garnet, and kissed her. "How has your day been so far?"

"A typical day mother's day of running after Hunter and changing his diapers, but it was good to get away from the politics of Alexandria and be with the baby—even if it'll only be for a short time."

Garnet stopped to giggle. "Speaking of the baby, you might want to turn around."

Zidane did as his wife advised. And when he did, he noticed Hunter's pudgy fingers trying to grab his book. "No, Hunter, that's Daddy's."

The two-year-old looked up at him and smiled.

Zidane returned the smile. "Tell you what, big boy; if you can wait for me to finish talking with Mommy, I'll read you a book from your shelf."

"'Kay!" Hunter said, although he demanded that his father hold him.

"What is the book that you picked up?"

With his free hand, Zidane handed Garnet the book. "Here. It's a book written by Goldwin and Aldous."

"Mother Terra: Its Rise and Fall—The Homeland of Kuja, Garland, and Prince Consort Zidane Tribal of Alexandria."

"From what I understand, it's pretty good."

"Do you know how well it's sold?"

"Pretty well, from what I understand. It sold very well in the Black Mage Village, but that's fairly obvious—since the genomes were interested to hear about the history of their homeland. And all that stuff about Kuja and myself a few years ago has made it interesting for other people. Plus, Goldwin and Aldous wrote the book from a personal perspective and not as a scholar. It's different than something Doctor Tot would write, although he did serve as an editor."

"Well then, I'll have to read it."

"Only when I'm done with it," smirked Zidane.

Garnet returned the smirk, before she changed the subject.

"By the way, did you see Steiner and Beatrix's new baby?"

Zidane smiled. "Sure did! A healthy baby boy, they've named him Connor. I guess Hunter'll have something of a little brother, unless you and me have another baby."

Garnet chuckled. "Well, young Connor'll be loyal to his prince, I'm sure."

"Yeah. Now all we have to do is make certain that Hunter doesn't act like a tyrant…If that ever happens, we'll tell him that he's acting like how Steiner would be acting if he was king."

Prince Hunter looked at his mother and father.

Zidane and Garnet chuckled, and Zidane placed Hunter on the bed and tickled him.

The toddler laughed and kicked.

Garnet sat beside them, and ran her fingers through Hunter's hair. "Come now, you know that Steiner's not that like anymore; thanks to you."

"Yeah, that's a good thing, but it'll also be a good thing if this baby takes after his mother and not his father."

Garnet chuckled. "That remains to be seen. He could run around in rusty armor chanting 'Prince Hunter' all the time."

Zidane also chuckled. "God I hope not." And then he placed Hunter on his lap. "Well then, I think it's time I read Hunter one of his favorite books." He returned Hunter to the floor, and giving him a pat on the bottom. "Why don't you go and find me one?"

**The End**

**+ Cody the Impaler +**

**August 20, 2006**


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